The Vera Juarez Network
by Harkpad
Summary: Esther is smarter than she gets credit for,and it's her turn to save Jack. "It wasn't the end, and this isn't the beginning. It's just the path we're walking, the way we're trying to clear so that the people of Cardiff and the world can live and grow"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Like most of the characters in Miracle Day, I feel Esther has been very short-changed by the show's writers. Good thing the writers gave us two whole months of a story hole to fill in! I like to think that Esther is the one who saved Jack after he was shot. That she kept the two of them going until they could hook back up with Gwen is something that I fully believe that character could do, if the writers would just, well, write her correctly. **** So here's my go for at least the first day after Jack was shot. Minor spoilers – well, Jack got shot. That's really the only spoiler. If you haven't watched the show or don't like it, maybe us writers can make it enjoyable for you! If folks like it (read: I'd love some reviews) I'll try more. I have another story to finish, but this one wouldn't leave me alone….**

"Just click it!" Esther told Jack as he ran, looking for a car to steal with keys in hand.

He did, saw the lights flash on a nearby SUV, and then heard the voice yelling, "Hey! You!" and a moment later Jack heard the gunshot. What he felt then he had felt before, many times: the searing flare of hot metal ripping through his skin, exiting at a weird angle, stealing all of his strength as it fled his body, leaving his legs boneless, unable to hold his frame any longer. He stumbled as he heard Esther cry his name, and he felt the blood begin to seep away.

This time, of course, was different, and this time there was fear coursing through his veins as the precious blood left his body and he couldn't hold himself up and Rex had to rush to his side, heaving him into the backseat of the SUV he was going to steal and shouting at Esther to look after him. Jack heard their voices through a tunnel, and, as Esther frantically raced them away from Angelo's mansion, he wished for the hundredth time in the last few months that his old team were around to help. This wish was completely selfish, though. It wasn't for the team's ability to work together to save the city or some helpless individual, no, he knew Esther, Rex and Gwen could do that, too. This wish was simple, as most of his wishes for his old team had been: he was hurting and he wanted the pain to go away. Owen was always close by with a syringe and sardonic remark, and Jack would take that, along with Ianto's hand in his, over the hard backseat of an SUV and Esther's apparent ensuing panic attack. He didn't blame her though. She had not signed on to be a field agent, and even if she had, this would be a panic-worthy situation. Jack just wished Owen and painkillers were an option right now, and that the stakes were not so high.

_[Esther Drummond knew that the only way out of her small, crumbling neighborhood was college, and she also knew that she could ace any class and any test, as long as there were patterns to be found. Math, which was easy due to the patterns, was boring. English, she loved English with its patterns of behavior in the stories and characters, and her ability to figure out the subtext and meanings the patterns showed. Science, the patterns of nature were divulged to her through every experiment and every definition and theory. And history, oh, the patterns of history were the best, and her ability to see the far-reaching consequences of the historical patterns blinded her and dazzled her teachers.]_

Esther knew the stakes were high as well, and she knew she needed to calm herself down. Jack was unresponsive and he was hurt. He was the one person on this god-forsaken planet who could die, and now it was up to her to save him. How the hell had _that_ happened?

_[Her high school graduation, where she had been so proud of herself, largely because there was no one else there to be proud of her, made her feel brave. She was leaving this crap neighborhood behind now that she had her scholarship to Georgetown, and she could go study patterns of history or patterns of literature (she hadn't decided) and not be bothered with these soul-sucking deadbeats anymore. She was brave and going it alone; who would she go it with anyway? Her parents would have wanted her to be brave if they'd been around. Brave was good.]_

Now, though, barreling down the freeway with her boss and mentor laying hurt across the back seat of a stolen car, going-off-to-college brave wouldn't cut it.

_[Another time she'd been brave was when the CIA came knocking with an entry-level analyst position - the coolest job she could imagine herself doing, and a huge step for her. Looking for patterns would become her life - she had dazzled her professors through college with her ability to spot them and their consequences, hence the glowing recommendations from all of them in this brave step of hers.] _

Bravely entering an intimidating career wouldn't cut it this time, either. She took a few deep breaths as she realized that Jack would be no help at all here. She had tried to be smart for Jack from the beginning, trying to compensate for her floundering inexperience, and had tried to be brave for all of them. It was hard to be this new kind of brave. She still found the patterns, though, and she had earned all of the sparkling grins and shoulder squeezes Jack had given her, all of the praising smiles from Gwen, and even the occasional, 'nice job, Esther,' from the ever stoic Rex. She had earned all of that with her smarts, and she now needed to slow down for a minute and find that again instead of panicking behind the wheel. There were no sirens behind her and so she knew she had to take a minute to catch her breath and figure something out.

So Esther pulled the SUV off to the side of the road and put it in park. She took a deep breath and got out of the car, opening the back door to where Jack was lying, eyes glazed over in pain and blood seeping through his wilting blue shirt and over his belt. Her heart raced as she tried to move him so that he was laying flat on the back seat, grunting as she struggled with his lead-weight body and wincing herself when he cried out in pain with the movement. She did it, though, and then managed to unbutton his shirt and peel the white undershirt away from his skin. Blood was oozing out of the wound, and she looked around the SUV for something to use to try and staunch the bleeding. The back of the SUV yielded nothing of use for pressing on the wound, but there was a Bunge cord set and a blanket. That might help. She peeled off her own jacket, paused, and then stepped back out to the road for a moment. She unbuttoned her own blouse, pulled it off, and pulled the jacket back around her shoulders and zipped it up. Turning back to Jack, she folded her blouse up carefully into the thickest strip she could, and pressed it around his wound. He bucked against her hands, but she pressed harder, and then wound the Bunge cord carefully and as gently as she could around his body, holding the blouse in place. She pulled, disregarding his cry of agony, and tightened the cord as much as she could, hitching it in place with its plastic hooks. She covered him tightly with his own greatcoat and the blanket from the back of the SUV, and then climbed back behind the wheel of the car. Her hands were shaking.

_[Brave had been when she finally realized at the age of twenty that her older sister, now twenty-six with two of her own children, was mentally unstable. Esther used her resourcefulness to find a support system for the kids, as much daycare in a stable place that her sister could afford, with Esther filling out all of the forms, keeping track of the kids and arranging their transportation, medical forms and everything necessary to make it so that her sister was not responsible for them for several hours of every day, and arranging her own schedule to be able to get to her sister's house and help with dinner and bedtime as many nights as possible. That had been brave and smart, and the kids had benefited from seeing Esther, stable and always coherent, as a good role model.]_

Now she sat behind the wheel, took some more deep breaths, and looked at the GPS system on the dashboard. Where should she go? Jack needed a doctor, dammit, but where? She looked and realized they were only a few miles outside of Carson City, Nevada, a mid-sized city where there might be help. She couldn't take him to a hospital, though, since that ran several risks - the category system and the attention of the police and CIA. So where? She found herself wishing for Vera. She needed Vera to help Jack with her calm confidence and clear medical skills. But Vera had been sacrificed to the gods of fear and chaos and could not help Esther now. But then a thought snuck past Esther's panic and fear, rearing up in her mind like the flame of hope that it was. There had been a rallying around Vera. Esther had watched the videos on the Internet herself, tracking how many people were sharing the horrors of Vera's death, how people were responding to her death and what it represented. Esther remembered, suddenly, a rumor. There was a whisper on the message boards, hidden in comments under videos and hidden in cryptic articles about the ovens, sliding into her consciousness and emerging here, just when she needed it. The Vera Juarez Network. Codes and slang, built around the VJN of the name, telling the average joe that if they needed real help but couldn't go to the hospital proper for fear of the categories, they could ask for Vera. Maybe now, even in death, Vera could save Jack. Esther had to try.

_[Patterns. Smarts. Small Time Bravery. She had to do her best with what worked in the past.]_

Very aware that she was shirtless under her jacket, Esther Drummond walked with confidence into the ER of the hospital and right up to the front desk. Sitting behind the desk was a bored-looking thirty-something man, who was doodling on a piece of paper and had to be asked twice for help. He did have the good grace to be apologetic when she did catch his attention, and he said, "Sorry. Can I help you?"

Esther tried to project confidence, but she kept her voice very low and said, "I need to see a Dr. Vera Juarez. I have a friend who needs help."

At these words the man behind the desk, blonde and green-eyed and suddenly sitting up very straight at his desk, said, "Really? I mean, wait." He wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it to Esther. "Take this down the hall to the third office on the left. They'll tell you what to do." He paused and added, "Good luck." She nodded.

She walked down the hall to the third office, knocked on the door, and saw it open to an older-looking man with graying hair, distinguished-looking and wary. She handed him the piece of paper and his eyes widened. He ushered her in wordlessly and she found herself in what looked like a testing center, where they did blood draws and processed the paperwork to have the draws tested. The man with her closed the door behind them and peered intently into her eyes. "What do you need? And you'd better not leave anything out. We will be very careful here, all around."

Esther held her head up and said, "I have a friend who has been shot. It happened about thirty minutes ago and he's losing a lot of blood." She pointed on herself where Jack had been shot and continued, "I have to get help, and he has to be able to travel soon. We can't stay in one place." The man she was talking to looked incredulous.

"You know we can't make him better. We can make him comfortable, but he's not going to heal." He sounded defeated and tired, this doctor, and Esther had to let him stay that way for the moment.

She said, "I know, but you've got to help me get him stitched up and functional. It's important."

He sighed and went to a table and got another piece of paper. While he wrote, he spoke, "Here's an address, less than five minutes from here. It's a warehouse with a security gate. They'll know you're coming, but hold up anything looking like an ID in case the gate is being watched. Tell them that Jamie sent you. Pull the car around back to the warehouse and they'll be waiting to help your friend."

She nodded and took the paper, giving him a quick hug as well. "Thank you," She said, and she practically ran down the hall and back out to the side street where she had parked the car, telling Jack she'd be back in a quick minute. Not that he'd heard her. His eyes were closed tightly and his face had gotten several shades paler on the drive to the hospital.

Jack kept remembering when Ianto had been shot in the field for the first time. [_They had been out chasing a Zeludrian who was stranded on Earth unexpectedly and wasn't happy about it. They were an intelligent species who also had a knack for recognizing weaponry, and when the one they were chasing got hold of Ianto's gun through a mistake on Jack's part, it shot Ianto in the gut and ran. Of course Jack brought down the Zeludrian with his own Webley before it got away, but he remembered the pain Ianto had gone through until they'd gotten him back to the Hub with Owen. Shouting in agony, _'_Just make it stop, Jack, please! Make the pain stop; I'm going to die from it if you don't make it stop!' 'No, you're not going to die, Ianto. Owen's going to patch you up and then I'm going to take care of you until you're back chasing Weevils. I'll take care of you.' And Jack stroked Ianto's hand as he drove like wildfire back to the Hub and the stretcher Owen already had pulled out.]_ Now Jack shuddered with the pain in his abdomen and saw the black edges around his vision closing in with every second.

Now Esther was just glad to be moving again. She plugged the address the man had given her into the GPS, hit 'go' and followed the purple line on the map. A few minutes later she arrived at the gate and flashed her credit card as a fake ID, telling the kid watching the gate that Jamie sent her. He nodded, pointed around back, and she followed his instructions around to the back, pulling slowly into a well-lit warehouse with Jack in tow. When she climbed out of the car she was surprised to be surrounded by three big men. One of them, she conceded, was probably younger than she was, but they were all definitely not anyone to tangle with. The tallest one stepped forward with distrust in his eyes, told her to raise her arms, and patted her down, looking for weapons. Finding none, he gave a shout and a young woman ran out from a hallway and didn't even acknowledge Esther, opening the back door of the SUV to assess Jack's situation.

"Jake and Tom - here, help me get him back to the room if she's clean." The woman had a confident voice tinged with sadness. The men nodded and stepped up to pull Jack out of the seat. It was obvious that they were trying to be careful with him, but he had finally slipped out of consciousness and they had to pull him like a rag doll out of the car. The woman took one look at him and said, "Shit." As the men carried Jack back to the room at the end of the hallway, the woman grabbed Esther's arm and said, "Come on. The boys will secure the premises - they have to do a couple of sweeps any time someone comes in. Making sure you weren't followed or anything." Esther nodded and followed the doctor to the room.

Esther decided this would be a good time to tell the people who were putting their own lives on the line to help her part of the truth. "Look," she said to all of them, "Check carefully to see if anyone's followed me. I've tried to avoid it, but we could be expecting company." She gestured to Jack, "He's someone people want to catch."

As the men had laid Jack on the surgical table and the doctor undid the makeshift bandage Esther had made with her blouse and the cord, the oldest of them, who looked to Esther like he was probably someone's father, said, "What people? Local police?"

"No," said Esther, "CIA." She paused and added, "And others."

At those words, the men looked at each other for a moment and the older one said, "Let's go get the guns." And they all left in a hurry.

The doctor raised an eyebrow at Esther as she deposited Esther's makeshift bandages in a corner, "You need an extra shirt?" Esther grinned and said, "Yes, if you've got one later. I had to make do."

The doctor continued looking at Jack's wound and grabbed a stack of gauze pads from the nearby counter, gesturing Esther over. "Look, after I clean the wound, you need to put serious pressure on it for me while I check him over. He should have been here fifteen minutes ago as it is." She proceeded to swab the wound with iodine and laid the gauze on it for Esther to press. She proceeded to check Jack's vitals muttering under her breath as she did so. After a minute, she stood straight and looked at Esther.

"I'm Karen, by the way." She introduced herself with a small smile and a soft-spoken voice. She was a pretty woman, mid-forties from the looks of her, dressed in a sweatshirt, jeans, and braided brown hair draping down to the middle of her back. She looked tough, but also considerate, strong, and kind. Her eyes looked sad, but they still had a glitter to them that Esther admired right away. "Your friend, what's his name?"

"Jack. And I'm Esther." She trusted Karen right as soon as she asked about Jack's name.

"Look, Esther. Jack has lost consciousness; he's suffering from low blood pressure and shock. The way the world is now, I don't see him improving enough to be functional. We can work to make him comfortable and pain-free, but people don't really improve any more. They just go into a holding pattern. No one heals right now, you know that. So whoever wants him isn't going to get much even if they catch him." She sounded sad, leaking her compassion through her tired eyes.

Esther looked at Karen and around the room. She decided she had to take a chance. She had to convince this woman to do her damndest to get Jack better.

She looked Karen in the eye and said with every ounce of conviction she could muster, "You have to save him, and that means treating him like you would have before the Miracle. He knew Vera Juarez, and so did I, and if Jack could have saved her, he would have. He's the only mortal man on this planet and he's probably the only man with the key to fixing this goddamned mess of a Miracle. The CIA wants him in custody because they know he's the answer. But they're asking the wrong questions and won't give him the freedom to actually fix anything. So please, don't treat him as if he can't get better. He will. He has to. And if you don't take his wounds seriously then he will die right here on this table, and all of us will die one way or another at the hands of this Miracle."

_[Esther remembered speaking to her sister in a similar tone of voice recently, the tone of voice that begged someone to look at the face of unreason and see reason instead.]_

Karen looked wide-eyed at Esther, as if searching for a lie or a joke hidden in her desperate sounding words. She found none, nodded her head, and went to a phone on her nearby desk. She picked up the receiver, pushed just two buttons and said, "Sean, I need you down here. Now. I have a patient who can actually die and I need assistance. Never mind that. Come now." As they waited for her colleague to come help, Karen looked at Esther again as if seeing her for the first time. "You knew Dr. Juarez?" Esther nodded as tears jumped to her eyes suddenly. Karen gazed down at Jack and asked, "You really think he can save us?"

Esther responded, "I think that's what he does."

A minute later a young man called Sean rushed into the room and Karen said, "Esther, why don't you wait outside for a bit. Sit down. Get one of the guys to find a soda or some water or something. I'll let you know when you can come in. Sean, get me the suture kit and then type his blood for me." She busied herself with Jack as Esther eased out of the room, knowing that at least she'd managed to get Jack into capable hands. Sometimes her brand of smart and brave _was_ enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes****: I am trying to avoid the "they're driving, and they're driving, and they're driving" kind of narrative pothole, here, so hopefully it worked. Oh, and I'll probably be changing the ending of Miracle Day when I get to it, 'cause once again the TW writers stole a great character and left a boring one. I **_**probably**_** won't let that slide. Oh, and thanks for all of your patience as I finished another story before jumping back into this one! Thanks for the fantastically kind words of everyone who has taken the time to review and send messages about this story! ConCrit would be greatly appreciated here, as this story has the potential to be cumbersome. **

Jack felt heavy, weighed down, as if gravity had shifted a little, holding him to the bed a little harder than usual. He felt caring fingers running through his hair, stroking him gently and reassuring him that wherever he was, it was probably safe for the moment. A voice said quietly in his ear, "Jack. I need you to wake up, sweetheart. Just for a minute, okay? Come on, wake up."

The voice was kind, but Jack was confused. It wasn't the voice that was supposed to be easing him into consciousness. It was a woman's voice, and that was wrong. It wasn't . . . "Esther," he said hoarsely, opening his eyes and finding himself lying on a hospital bed in a bland room with Esther sitting next to him holding his hand. He closed his eyes again for a moment, cursing his tired brain that tricked him once again into looking for someone else when he awoke. Waking was the worst time for Jack.

He had to face things, though, and find out what was going on. He looked up at Esther once again. Her eyes were filled with relief and care, and he reminded himself that he was lucky to have someone like her looking after him, even if she wasn't who he really wanted. Who he really wanted no longer mattered in his life; he had come to accept that months ago. Esther looked down at him as he looked around the room he was in. "Where are we?" he asked.

She gave a soft smile, "We're safe at the moment. It's a warehouse in Carson City where I found a doctor to help you. You need to rest some more, but she's patched you up for now. I need your help, Jack."

He nodded, knowing that they couldn't stay anywhere for long, and if they'd been laid up here by his injury, then they'd have to think about moving soon. The CIA wasn't inept when it came to tracking people, even though he hoped that Rex would do his part to throw them off the trail when he could.

Esther continued, "We need IDs, Jack. If we're going to travel and especially if we're going to get back to Gwen, we'll need passports and cash. This isn't my area of expertise. I need to know how I can arrange it while you rest." She was glad to see him awake, though he still was incredibly pale and obviously exhausted. She had sat outside the room while the doctors operated on him to remove the bullet and patch up the wound, and she knew that Jack had been touch-and-go for a bit due to blood loss and shock. She had come in and sat with him through the night, sleeping in the chair as Karen came in periodically to check his vitals and as she finally reassured Esther that he was out of the woods for now. Esther had managed to get a shower, a change of clothes, and a nap or two in the chair, so she was feeling better than she had the night before for sure. She looked at Jack as he thought about her question.

_[She remembered the super-hero move he pulled the night he met her, throwing himself against her and through the window to get them out of the building that was about to explode. His grin was dazzling and infectious when he helped her out of the fountain, led her to a park bench, and sat casually, soaking wet, on the back of it to tell her about Torchwood. As she had listened to him talk she had a feeling she had never had before. She knew that if he asked her to follow him she would, and she would do whatever it took to help him in his mission. Esther Drummond had never had the urge to follow anyone before in her life.]_

He nodded and said, "I've got my own passports if we can get to New York City without any hassles. I can arrange for one for you, too, if I can find my old contact. We need to move, though, and get there. I've got a fake ID and a different credit card that I always carry. We can use that to get to New York." He tried to sit up, just as Karen was coming into the room to check on them. He went white with pain, though, and he fell back against the pillows with a gasp.

Karen rushed over and said, "It's amazing how many of our stomach muscles we actually use to sit up, huh? You might not want to do that for a bit." She smiled down at him, noting his frustration when his body wouldn't do what he wanted it to do. This was not a man used to being held down by injury. Of course, if what Esther had told her last night was true, then he was unused to being injured at all.

_["If he used to be immortal, then . . . how old is he? Where is he from?" Karen had asked Esther after she had operated and gotten Jack stabilized the night before. This very idea that he could die was baffling to Karen, although the way his body had behaved during surgery assured her that Esther was telling the truth about that. As for the idea that he used to be immortal? Well, that was just incredible, but she believed that, too. It was a combination of the evidence in front of her and Esther's conviction that sold her on that fact. _

_Esther shook her head, "I don't know where he's from. He wouldn't tell me when I asked. I don't know how old he is, either, but we have photos from the nineteen forties that confirm he was around then, looking exactly the age he looks now." She smiled at how absurd it sounded, but Karen believed her.]_

Jack looked up at the woman who was obviously his doctor for now, and nodded. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a shaky breath as the pain eased momentarily. He opened them again and gave Karen a broad smile, "Captain Jack Harkness, pleased to meet you," he said as confidently as he could as he held out a hand. She took it and shook his hand with a grin of her own. Charming, too, she thought as she shook his hand. She guessed that lifetimes of practice and looks like that would probably lead to some charm. She had a grandfather who had served in World War Two, and the thought that this man who looked her own age could have known him or served alongside him was beyond intriguing. She mentally shook herself, though, and told herself not to get distracted. Charming, handsome, and filled with lifetimes of knowledge might be interesting, but it seemed like it might also get Karen killed if she let him hang around too long, so getting him better and out of her life was probably the wise thing to do. She almost felt bad for Esther, getting caught up in this mess.

"I'm Karen," she said in return as she let go of his hand. "You're going to be all right, Jack, but it's going to hurt for a while, and all of this talk of travelling across the country is going to need to be put on hold, at least for a week or so. You two need to find a safe place and just rest." She looked at Esther, "You're going to need to help him change out the dressings. The highest risk with a bullet wound is infection since it is, in essence, a puncture wound and open much longer than a cut would be. He needs sleep and to stay still so it can heal properly. He's not going to be running anytime soon." She tried not to sound condescending as she spoke; telling people what to do was actually the hardest part she had found in being a doctor. She could explain things, being gentle or cold depending on what kind of person she was dealing with, but telling people what they had to do was always hard, and this, well, this was harder since she recognized that they _should_ probably be traveling. She watched as Esther looked down at Jack, wondering how he was going to take this news.

_[Changing Jack's dressing to avoid infection was something Esther knew she could do, but it panicked her a bit to hear that she would have to. Her mind drifted to a bed in a small, cramped room in an old, broken house in the city. Heating was constantly in question and meant that blankets were piled high on her father and on the end of the bed. No money meant that she was changing his dressing from the infection he'd gotten in the hospital after the crash that had killed her mother, even though she wanted to take him back to the doctor that they couldn't pay. Her father had been helpful to her at first, but as the infection grew worse and she pleaded with him to let her take him to the emergency room, where they wouldn't be turned away, he got angrier and meaner. She realized later that he probably just wanted to die to be with his wife, and that left Esther with her own festering wound.]_

Jack was, predictably, shaking his head. "No. We put the seat down in whatever car we take, and that's the rest I need. The sooner we can get to New York and back to Wales, the better for this whole operation. "

Karen looked at both of them. They were desperate and she understood this. She stood a little straighter and decided two things: one, she had to convince a man to rest when he was on the run, and two, she had to offer something to help so that he would rest. "Give me ten minutes, okay? Both of you. Lay back and rest, Jack. I'll be back and then we'll talk a bit more strategy." Jack and Esther nodded, and Karen left the room in search of her phone. It might be crazy, but she knew just the cliché available to help Jack and Esther if her brother-in-law would just surrender it to the cause.

Jack closed his eyes when Karen left the room. [_Running from one state to another shouldn't be this hard. He'd jumped from the end of the universe to Cardiff, for God's sake, to say nothing of the distances he'd traveled as a Time Agent. Nevada to New York should have been easy. But it wasn't, and he knew that.] _He opened his eyes and looked at Esther. She had changed clothes, now wearing jeans and a sweater, such a change from the severe looking suit she had worn when he first met her, complete with ridiculously high heels. This was definitely a better running wardrobe. He grinned up at her as she watched Karen leave the room. "How's your long distance driving stamina?" he asked sheepishly, "I don't think I'll be much help for a while. This hurts like hell." He said it as a statement of fact, not a complaint.

"I can do it for a while, Jack, of course. Can't say I ever have, but I will. Your sparkling personality will keep me awake, right?" She grinned back at him.

"I can tell a lot of dirty jokes to keep you awake, that's for sure," he told her in mock seriousness.

She laughed. "That won't be necessary. Give me enough caffeine and I'll get us to Ohio at least. Save your jokes for when we're really desperate."

He chuckled, and then thought for a moment. "Listen, if we can get a few states away, then we can probably hole up for at least a day or two. Then I can make the arrangements for our documents and with Gwen, and then when we get to New York we can just go. We just need to get some distance from here, I think."

Esther nodded, and then they were quiet. Jack seemed to drift off a little bit, and Esther had to remind herself that this was going to be her show for a while; Jack would direct her, but she couldn't count on much more than that and dirty jokes. She was trying to imagine the repertoire of someone who had eternity to collect them when Karen rushed back into the room.

She was panicked. She thrust a piece of paper into Esther's hands and turned toward the nearby cabinet and started throwing bandages, tape, and then bottles and syringes into a sack, speaking hurriedly as she did so. "Tom just got a call from the hospital you stopped at, and they were interrogating the doctor who sent you our way. You've got to get out of here, and so do we." She handed the bag to Esther and quickly loaded a syringe, turned to Jack, and pushed it into his abdomen, near the wound. "This will ease the pain for now. In the bag are quick-acting painkillers and syringes, as well as a couple of bottles of standard pain pills. They make you kind of trippy, though, so be careful. There're instructions on the bottle. Esther, you've got to change his dressing every few hours. Don't let it slide or you'll both regret it. There's alcohol in the bag, too. I don't have time to explain much, but just be sure you clean the entry wound and don't touch it with your hands if you can help it." She stopped and looked at both of them, "Get out. The piece of paper has an address outside the city. A man will meet you there by the time you get there. He'll have another vehicle and some more cash for you. Take the keys to yours, though. If he gets caught with them they'll interrogate him, and I don't want him involved any more than this. You can have the van he's got for you all the way to New York if you want. We don't care what happens to it." She stopped talking and leaned over Jack to help him up. He groaned and Esther slid her arm under his shoulder. He leaned on her heavily and in the hallway Tom rushed up to them and took Jack from Esther, practically carrying him to the car. He eased Jack into the front seat gently, and Esther looked at Tom and Karen and said, "Thank you for this. Everything would be lost if we'd lost him, so thank you." They nodded, and Karen said, "Go."

As Esther drove away from the warehouse, she kept her eye out for anyone watching or following, but didn't see anything. She looked over at Jack, who was leaning back in the seat, eyes clenched and his breathing shallow. He looked like he was going to be sick. "Jack, are you going to be okay?"

He nodded, but kept his eyes closed. "The painkillers are starting to kick in. I'll be okay. Give me that piece of paper and the GPS." He reached out and when she gave it to him he opened his eyes and proceeded to program the address into the system. He handed the GPS back when he was done, and Esther followed it for about half an hour, during which Jack visibly relaxed and his breathing evened out. When they arrived at the destination, Esther laughed. Sitting in the parking lot of the building they arrived at, was a green minivan. It even had a little family sticker on the back of it; it reeked of domestic life. A man with grey hair tied back in a ponytail was standing next to it, and Esther climbed out to meet him. He smiled an easy smile and shook her hand. "I'm Jim. Karen's brother-in-law. The van is gassed up and ready to go, and there's a cooler in there with some drinks and sandwiches – just from the gas station down the road, so nothing actually good. I figured it was better than nothing, though. You need some help with your friend?"

She wanted to hug him, but she refrained and just nodded eagerly, saying "Thanks so much. I'm sorry we're taking your van."

"It's new and in good shape. It'll get you there," Jim said as he opened Jack's door. Jack was trying to sit up and climb out on his own, but his knees buckled as soon as his feet hit the ground. Jim grabbed him and shook his head. "Hey. Karen said you'd been shot yesterday. That's too soon to go trying to climb in and out of cars on your own. I took one of the seats out of the van last month, though, and there's enough room to lie down. I put some blankets down for you. It's not much, but it's better than the front seat." He led Jack to the van and helped him lie down in the back. Jack told him thanks, and Esther decided to give Jim the hug anyway. He grinned at her afterward, "Karen said you guys are trying to get rid of the Miracle. This stuff doesn't matter," he said gesturing to the van, "Get this crazy world back to its crazy normal, and everything will be worth it." Esther nodded, climbed in, and drove away.

She headed east, keeping an eye on the map on the GPS and suffering a small panic attack every time she saw a police car on the highway. They left her alone, though, and Jack was quiet in the back. She had made sure he had a bottle of water nearby and some of the fruit Jim had left with them, but she knew he probably wouldn't have any of it any soon. The move from the warehouse to the van had wiped him out, and she was sure he was sleeping soon after they departed. About four hours into the drive, she was startled by the ringing of a phone. It was Jack's phone, buried in a bundle of his coat and braces and pants piled on the back seat. Esther pulled over carefully, dug it out, checking to affirm that Jack was, indeed still asleep before answering for him since it was Gwen's name on the caller ID.

"Gwen, it's Esther," She said right away. She could hear Gwen's startled intake of breath on the other end of the line.

"Esther? Where's Jack?" Gwen asked, slightly panicked.

"Sleeping," she responded. She knew she needed to explain. "He was shot trying to get away from Angelo's place. I was able to get him to Carson City and to a doctor, and he should be all right before long. He's wiped out, though, and we had to leave the doctor sooner than we probably should have."

Gwen paused, incredulous.

Esther took a deep breath. This was actually good. She had been driving for several hours and needed a break, and Gwen needed to know what was going on. "He's going to be all right, as long as he can rest and we keep up with wound care. He took a bullet to the stomach." She suddenly realized her voice was shaky. "We almost lost him, Gwen. We had to find an underground doctor and that took too long, and then I had to convince the doctor that he could actually die and to treat him as such. This is all so crazy. Who has to convince a doctor to try and save a man's life?" She took another deep breath. "She did, though. Save him. It's too soon for him to be running, though, but we had to. The CIA was asking around at the hospital where we found the underground network. You know, the one started after Vera died? Well, we had to leave quickly. The doctor gave us a minivan and some cash, and Jack says he's got an account we can use until we get to New York to get passports and travel documents." Esther realized she had just spoken a torrent of information to Gwen, but she didn't know how else to explain. She stopped to let Gwen talk. There was a pronounced pause on the other end of the line. "Gwen?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm listening" Gwen paused again, though. "It's . . . well, Jack being mortal is so weird. I should be with you two! The bastards," she sighed. "All right. So you two are trying to get out of the country. You're coming to Wales, right?" She asked.

"Yes," Esther responded. "We need to research this Family, and the Blessing as well. Plus, Jack still has that null field chip, and we don't know how that fits in. But we can't do anything here. The CIA will bring us in the second we give our location away. We figured working with you would be best."

Gwen said, "Okay. Yeah. Although things aren't going too well over here, either. We'll work better all together, though, especially if Rex can help us from the inside. " Gwen took her own deep breath. "You two get to Wales. I'll call you in a few days to check your status, okay?"

"Okay," Esther responded. "We'll be all right, Gwen. I can do this." She truly believed that, especially with Jack awake to talk her through everything once he'd rested.

"You take care of him, Esther. He doesn't let people do that very often, but you take care of him," Gwen said with vehemence. She sounded desperate.

"I will, Gwen. I promise," Esther said, equally vehement. They both hung up at the same time, without a good bye. Esther put the phone away, checked the horizon and found no other cars, and opened the back of the van to check on Jack. He was too tall to stretch out completely, but he was lying on his back with his knees up, and blankets folded into a pillow. Esther laid her hand on his forehead, as if checking his temperature, and he looked at her sleepily. It had been about four hours since they'd left, so the pain meds were still kicking. His eyes were glazed, but he gave her a weak smile.

"Do you need me to drive already, Esther?" He said as flippantly as he could manage.

She grinned back and shook her head. "I was about to pour some caffeine down my throat, and I just took a break to talk to Gwen, so I'm good for another four or five hours, Captain."

His eyes lit with the laughter he was too tired to vocalize, and he nodded. "Good. Don't think the other drivers would like me behind the wheel at the moment, to say nothing of you or anyone who cares about you, Esther."

The light left Esther's eyes quickly, but she tried to maintain the levity by saying, "That, and you've been driving on the wrong side of the road for at least seventy years. I'll drive, Captain." He smiled at her and she nodded as he seemed to fall back asleep. She shut the door and walked back to the driver's side and climbed in.

Jack wasn't really sleeping, though. [_Driving SUV through the streets of Cardiff with his team had always been an exercise in amusement for Jack. "Just because you can't die doesn't mean you should toy with our lives by driving like a maniac, Jack!" One of them would always say. He couldn't be sure, but he thought Owen started that line. He did drive like a maniac, but he had better reaction times than most people, and he was completely familiar with the city, having spent over 100 years there. Of course, driving wasn't the only thing he did in the SUV. _] He grinned to himself and enjoyed the rare pleasant memory of extracurricular activities in the back seat of the Torchwood SUV before drifting back off as Esther led the van back onto the droning highway.

For her part, Esther had Jack's words ringing in her ears as she climbed back behind the driver's seat and eased the van back on to the highway. _'To say nothing of you or anyone else who cares about you, Esther'_. _['I need you, Esther! I care, I really do!' Esther could hear her sister's voice ringing as if she were sitting right next to her in the passenger seat. 'You don't care,' Esther had responded. 'Something fantastic has happened to me with this job at the CIA, and you just think it's a set-up for them to get you. You do care, but not for me.' She retorted angrily to her sister, watching Sarah's face wind itself up in that indignant anger that always rose when Esther brought Sarah's paranoia to their conversation. 'You think I'm paranoid! I'm not! They're going to come for us one day, Esther. You know they will! I'm going to be ready and you'll just be wandering around looking for someone to love you, to care for you. You should be looking for ways to survive, little sister, not worrying about someone caring!' Esther had stormed away. She knew she shouldn't get upset. She would go back to Sarah in twenty minutes and Sarah would apologize, tell her how much she loved her, how much she needed her, how much she cared. But she didn't. And no one did, because Esther spent all of her time at work or helping Sarah. Finding anyone who might care didn't enter into the picture at all, did it? There just wasn't time for that.] _Of course, then Jack Harkness had entered her life, and caring took on a whole new meaning when she joined a team called Torchwood, and now she was driving like mad down the back roads of the United States with a formerly immortal, now mortal alien-catcher sleeping on the floor of the van.

_tbc_


	3. Chapter 3

An hour later as Esther drove down the highway trying to stay awake and put more distance between their van and Nevada, she heard a tired voice say, "So a priest, a rabbi, and a rugby player walk into a bar."

Esther laughed and shook her head. "Jack, do you need me to stop and help you?" She couldn't stop grinning as he said, "Nah. Don't you want to hear the punch line?" She ignored him and carefully pulled the van over to the side of the road and climbed toward the back of the van. She didn't want to open the hatch and draw attention until she knew what he needed from her. So she crouched down next to him, trying not to disturb him too much, and she could see that he was sweating and in some pain. He grinned up at her, though, and said, "I'll save the punch line for later. Where are we?"

"Outside of Salt Lake City." She looked at him more closely and said, "You need a painkiller, some rest in a real bed, and some food. I could use all but the painkiller myself." She paused, and then said, "So how does one pick a hideaway anyway?"

Grinning, Jack said, "Someplace small, local. Pay cash, there's some in my wallet, and tell them you lost your id if they ask for one, okay? If they press you, tell them you'll give them my ID, but that I'm carsick and they probably don't want me throwing up on their lobby floor. They probably won't press you then."

Esther nodded and then dug out one of the long-acting pain pills that Karen had given them. She handed it to Jack, and he took it gratefully, finishing off the bottle of water he'd opened.

"Hideaways, dirty jokes, and minivans. Only with you, Jack," she said, shaking her head as she stood and climbed back to the front seat to find a hotel. She drove for about twenty more minutes before seeing signs for a clean-looking but non-chain hotel in the town ahead. She pulled off the highway, noting that there was a drugstore and a few fast-food restaurants at the exit as well. The hotel was about five minutes off of the exit, and Esther pulled in to the parking lot carefully. She dug in the pile of coats and clothes on the front seat next to her and found Jack's wallet. As she opened it to pull out the cash for the hotel, a photo fell onto the seat. It had been folded, but very neatly so, and it seemed like a newish photo, certainly not one from an unreasonable time ago. She knew she shouldn't, but she unfolded it and stared, startled by what she saw.

[It_ was Jack and a young man sitting on a couch talking, obviously unaware that the photo was being taken. Jack was dressed in a blue shirt and his braces, and he was grinning and leaning into the young man's face, hovering in front of it as if teasing him. The other man was grinning back at Jack in mild amusement, as if they were sharing a joke. What startled Esther the most, though, was the ease and comfort of Jack's body language, as well as that of the young man he was with. Gone was the bravado, and in its place was just a guy having a good time with someone he loved. The persona that Esther had gotten used to from Jack was missing, and the unabashed happiness on his face betrayed genuine feeling, not any sort of an act. The man in the picture with Jack was wearing a dark red shirt and a loosened black tie, and he was young-looking, but obviously Jack's equal. He was looking at Jack with a gleam in his eye and a confidence that Esther knew she could never muster when looking at the Captain.]_

After looking at the photo for a moment, she felt like she was doing something she shouldn't, so she carefully put it back in the wallet where she found it, and put the wallet back with Jack's other things, including his coat. She climbed out of the car as she called back to Jack, "I'll be right back," and headed into the hotel lobby.

A few minutes later, Esther reemerged from the lobby and climbed back in the car. "I got us a room on the ground floor, okay?"

"All right," said Jack from the back of the van. After Esther parked, she went and unlocked the hotel room and propped the door open so she could help Jack in. She opened the back of the van, and took his hand as he unfolded himself and set his feet down on the pavement. She threw her shoulder under his arm and lifted, helping him stand. He winced as he stood, but was able to walk to the room and sit down on the bed. Esther went back to the van and took their few belongings, Jack's coat and wallet and her bundle of clothes from before she changed, as well as the supplies that Karen and Jim had sent along. She closed the door of the room behind her and looked at Jack.

"We need to change your dressing, okay? Then you need to eat something before you sleep. You haven't eaten in two days." She put on her most commanding voice to remind Jack that he was under her wing for the moment, whether he liked it or not. He needed to be taken care of, and she was determined. "When we both get some sleep I'll go and get us some supplies at the store I saw on the way in. We'll get a good meal then, as well as some clothing changes. Okay?"

He nodded, and Esther proceeded to dig in the medical supplies for the things she needed. He took a drink from a new bottle of water, and then she helped him lay back on the bed. He pulled his breath in through clenched teeth as they did so, and then Esther carefully pulled back the old dressing on the wound and began to clean it. Jack was conscious of the pain killers kicking in as Esther gently cleaned his wound. The combination of her skill and the pills made him realize how incredibly tired he really was at the moment. "You're good at this," he mumbled.

She grinned sadly down at him and didn't answer. She just finished the job and then helped him climb under the covers of the bed. He was asleep before she could even stand up, much less than before she could get him something to eat. She sighed and figured that he was probably doing what his body needed most at this point. Esther went to the bathroom and turned on the shower, and as she stood under the spray contemplating their position, she thought of the last few days, wondering how she had really gotten herself into all of this. The curiosity that killed the cat, she supposed, had gotten the better of her as well. She had always been too curious, which was part of what led to the sensibility that let her help her sister and nieces. How did things work, why did they work, or, in the case of her family, why didn't they work?

[_Her parents worked so hard at their jobs just to give Esther and Sarah some semblance of a typical American childhood. It was always obvious, though, to Esther that they had to work too hard for it to be completely worth it._ _"You shouldn't eavesdrop, Esther," her sister's voice hissed in her ear. She was sitting at the top of the stairs listening to her parents argue. She was ten years old, two years before the accident, and Sarah was sixteen. Sarah never seemed to worry about her parents, but Esther would sit and listen to them argue about money and remind herself not to ask for the shoes she was planning on asking for, or money for the field trip next month. She was the kid who just couldn't go because she 'forgot' to ask for permission. She was used to it, but had been secretly hoping it would be different this year. It wasn't. She got in trouble every time her parents caught her listening at the top of the stairs, speeches about privacy going on for a half hour every time she got caught. She kept listening, though, even when the fights turned to arguments over what to do with Sarah.] _

Her curiosity was certainly helping her now, though, she thought to herself. She shook herself out of her stupor in the shower and dried off, putting the same clothes back on. She would be glad to go get herself a few clothing options after she'd slept.

She did sleep, and so did Jack. Esther awoke almost six hours later, and Jack was still fast asleep. She shook her head, but realized that this was the first time they had stopped since before coming to Nevada, so she shouldn't be surprised at sleeping. She also realized she wasn't sure whether she should wait until Jack woke up to go get supplies or not, but after thinking a minute she decided to wake him up. She imagined the pain meds were going to wear off soon, and she needed to change his dressing again.

Esther approached Jack's sleeping form, noticing that he was not really sleeping peacefully. His face was tense and he was sweating, reassuring her that waking him up and dosing him again was probably a good idea. She shook his shoulder gently, saying his name. He woke with a start, though, crying out, "No! Stop!" Esther put her hands on his shoulder and said, "Shhh. Jack, it's okay. You're okay." He looked up at her as his eyes settled from wild and he took a deep breath. It took a few breaths before he actually settled down, leaning back on the pillows and taking in the room.

He ran his hand over his face, trying to pull himself back to the present. Esther was sitting next to him, bottle of water in hand. He gauged the pain in his abdomen and was frustrated by how intense it still was. He just wanted this wound to heal. A bruise was one thing, even the poison after-effects were gone in a day, but this was going to be different, he knew it. Ever since the Miracle, his body had been a constant fascination for Jack. Sleep that was necessary and long, hangovers, and simply the fear that something might happen that couldn't be healed. He had gotten so used to throwing his body about with little regard that being careful with it was completely foreign. Being brought down by it now wasn't fascinating; it was just plain annoying. Here sat Esther, though, and he knew he was safe at least for now. He took another deep breath and then looked up at her sincerely.

"Esther Marie Drummond. Youngest analyst on staff at the CIA. Top graduate from the Political Science Department at Georgetown University and top recruit by Georgetown University from South High School in Washington, D.C. Now on the run with Torchwood, defying the very government that she pledged to serve. How are you holding up, Esther Drummond?" Jack was serious. He wanted to know what the past few days had done to the faithful but novice young girl he had dragged out of a fountain shortly upon his return to Earth.

Esther shook her head and handed Jack a painkiller before rustling through the medical supplies for the clean dressing. "I'm okay, Jack. Really I am. How much do you know about me, though?" She asked with a concerned and guarded look on her face. She listened to his reply as she gently changed the dressing on his abdomen. She couldn't meet his eyes as she did so, though.

Jack watched the young girl so faithfully taking care of him, and recited gently, "I know you were on full scholarship to Georgetown, I know you have an older sister in D.C. who has two children, and I know your parents died when you were twelve. Your mother died in a car wreck and your father died a month or so later, and your sister took care of you until you went to college. I know you were recruited by the CIA before you even graduated, and that you were promoted from Junior Analyst within six months of being hired. Smart, resourceful, but academic. Right? This field agent stuff is completely new for you, isn't it?"

Esther nodded. "I just wanted to look for patterns. It's what I'm good at."

Jack smiled at her and said, "Well, you're good at changing wound dressings, too, as it turns out." He paused, "Did you learn that with your father?"

Esther nodded. "We couldn't afford the doctor's visits and my sister, well, she was . . . too distracted to help much. I tried to get my dad to go to the emergency room, but he wouldn't listen. Said I could take care of him; he had faith in me." She was quiet for a minute. "It didn't pan out."

Jack could see the regret in her eyes, and he could hear it in her voice. He knew a little about blame, too, and her desperate efforts to take care of her father and her current efforts to take care of her sister could probably be read as an attempt to control what was a very out of control situation. He knew about control as well. He also knew about young people wise beyond their years due to desperate situations that life threw at them. He watched Esther finish changing the dressing and then took her hand in his and commanded her gaze. "Thank you for looking after me. I'm not used to this sort of thing."

Esther nodded and shrugged. "Well, I should go get us some proper food and maybe a few changes of clothes. Is there anything you want me to avoid?"

Jack grinned, "No Brussels sprouts and no cornbread. Otherwise, I'm good with pretty much anything. "

"Brussels sprouts? Seriously? Peanut butter and jelly it is. . ." Esther came back, grinning as well.

" Chinese food and pizza were the staples of my life last time I was on Earth, so if you find those I would be good," Jack retorted. He suddenly realized how hungry he really was.

Esther nodded, "There's some fruit over here. Do you want something before I leave to tide you over?"

"Are there any bananas?" Jack grinned. "Bananas are good."

Esther handed Jack a banana, made sure he had water, and promised she'd be back in less than an hour. When she came back an hour later, arms full of supplies and Chinese food, Jack was asleep again. Dirty jokes, hideaways, minivans, and sleep. That seemed to be her lot in life for a while now. After she ate and napped another couple of hours, she went back to the front desk to pay for another day at the hotel. One day at a time was all they could do until Jack was back on his feet. She hoped it was soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Please think of this as a transition chapter. We are going to have to enter the realm of AU sooner rather than later in order to avoid a truly boring story (this chapter!). Thanks for everyone following and reviewing my story. It makes me happy to write, and it makes me happier to know that people are reading it! **

Jack and Esther had arrived at the sleepy hotel off of the interstate late-afternoon after departing Carson City hastily at dawn. They slept most of the night and Esther paid for another day early the next morning when she realized that Jack was exactly where he needed to be for the moment. She wasn't sure if they should keep running, but she would pay for the room to be safe and she would talk to Jack about it after he woke up and could stay awake long enough for a coherent conversation that didn't involve any dirty jokes or personal history. Getting some of _his_ would be nice, but Esther had a feeling that after however many years of life Jack had accumulated, he was probably good at deflecting conversations away from topics where he didn't want to linger. She was pretty good at that herself, after all, and she was younger than he was by at _least_ a long shot.

She was sitting in the hotel room chair near the window, curtains drawn across the dusty windowpanes and hiding the accumulated filth in the windowsill. The room was acceptable, but certainly not five star. Esther was reading one of about six newspapers she had picked up at the grocery/department store that she had visited to get supplies for the two of them. She was waiting for Jack to wake up or four to five hours to pass, whichever happened first. She had left him eating a banana, but he had been asleep upon her return to the room. She had already shredded the takeout Chinese food she had gotten for herself, and was sipping the coffee she had made from the little pot in the hotel room. She had heard Jack complain about lousy coffee _many_ times, so she didn't feel bad drinking all of this. She figured he should probably stick to tea for now anyway. She was happy to be wearing clean clothes at last as well, having bought herself another pair of jeans along with a few shirts, a skirt and blouse set in case she needed to look official, and two new pairs of shoes. Between that and a couple of pairs of pants and button down shirts for Jack, as well as some other personal items she thought they could both use, and some groceries, she had felt pretty bogged down with shopping bags by the time she stumbled into the hotel room afterwards. Now as she sat reading the papers, she felt like she could finally relax. Just a bit.

The newspapers were all talking about the Miracle and its related issues, particularly the pharmaceutical industry news and the news surrounding the camps. Esther thought of Gwen as she read about how the camps were starting to be considered operational again, despite the protests of the populace. There simply wasn't enough room at the hospitals, and there simply wasn't anything to be done with people otherwise. Esther didn't know what the answer was, really, as long as burning people was off the table. She shuddered as she thought of Vera again.

_[Esther had envied Dr. Juarez her confident stride and no-nonsense attitude, watching in awe at the camp when Vera had marched into the office of the site administrator and demanded a tour and carried off her deception with ease while Esther sat at the desk nervously and waited for her chance to get at the records. She had watched Vera with admiration before, too, when she joked with Rex and stood up to Jack. Esther had thought they might be friends one day, after all of this was over, and maybe she could have gotten to know her better and found someone to trust. But that was not to be. Her death had robbed Esther of a potential friend and had chipped away at Esther's innocence as she had to as good as kill the site administrator in order to get Rex away with her and back to Jack.]_

Esther knew she had done the right thing, though. Jack had assured her of that countless times, and she believed him. She glanced over at his sleeping figure in the hotel room bed and watched him sleep restlessly. She wondered if he ever slept peacefully, but she figured that was probably hard to do because when one's mind had that many years of a life like his to play with, it probably didn't hit on the happy dreams terribly often. She sighed and went back to her newspaper and coffee.

_[Esther's father was a newspaper and coffee kind of man, and Esther had fond memories of sitting with him at the kitchen table when she was little, reading without understanding, but reading anyway, just so she could sit on his lap and talk with him. His long work hours made this time precious. She asked question after question about what she read, and when she was little he sat and patiently answered her questions as best he could. He didn't give her his opinion unless he asked, and by the time she was ten their early morning ritual before school became sitting at the table together reading and talking about what was happening in the world. When she lost him at twelve, she kept the ritual up one-sided.]_

About two hours later Jack woke up. She didn't realize it at first because he didn't say anything right away. She felt his eyes on her and looked up into his quiet smile, the one she had only seen a few times and only when they were alone together. She hoped it was the one reserved for friends and not one formed from pity or worry. She still wasn't sure. "Do you want the sports page, Jack?" she asked him with a grin as she peered over the top of the newspaper.

"I'm more of a funny papers kind of guy, actually. I could stand a Bloom County fix if it's available," he replied.

She chuckled as his age showed even in this. "Bloom County was cancelled years ago, Jack, and you don't strike me as a Family Circus fan, so you're out of luck." She paused and then gave him a more serious look. "The whole paper is concerned with the Miracle anyway. I'm not sure if there is even a funny page in here."

"Yeah," he replied acerbically, "The world goes to hell when it loses its sense of humor after all."

Esther nodded and stood up. "I got some supplies, including Chinese food while you slept. I'll change that dressing again and you can eat if you want to, okay?" She asked as she gathered up her bandage supplies.

"How did it go while you were out?" He asked. "Did it look like anyone was keeping an eye on you?"

"Other than the cute guy at the cash register as I was leaving, who looked disappointed to run across your shirts as he rang them through? No. I don't think anyone is onto us yet," she responded.

"You should have invited him over," Jack said as she pulled his shirt up to change the dressing, giving her a grin. He winced, though, as she pulled the old dressing off.

"Sorry," she said as she cleaned off the wound. She looked at it closely and took an extra minute while cleaning it, hoping she was imagining the tinge of red around the edges. She resolved silently to be more vigilant in her administrations. "Do you want a pain shot? It's still a bit early since your last pill," she asked gently.

"No, thanks. I can handle it right now, as long as I'm not up and about too much," he replied, though he did sound weary despite his refusal of the pain meds.

"I bought another night here, Jack. I think if we can stay then we should. Don't you think we'll be okay here for at least another day?" She asked.

He thought quietly for a few minutes and then nodded. "I think we've done pretty well so far at staying low. Besides, I'd like to get a hold of a good map and plan a different route than the most obvious interstate routes; we should probably leave the main road every once in a while just in case they're watching out for us and somehow figure out what we're driving." He paused and then continued, "It would be good if we could ditch the minivan in a day or two and get something else just in case."

"How would they do that without finding Kar- oh. Right. If they do find Karen they could know exactly what to look for." Esther sighed.

"She's probably okay, Esther. It's just best to plan for the worst case scenario." He rested back for a minute and unconsciously fiddled with his wrist strap and then said, "I just wish we could get there quicker."

"What is that, Jack?" Esther asked, gesturing toward his wrist strap. She had seen him use it a couple of times but still hadn't figured out what it was. He wouldn't take it off, though; she knew that much.

He looked down at it as if surprised that he was messing with it and stopped, looking at it thoughtfully as he answered, "Something that could get us a lot farther than New York City if it were working properly."

"Really?" she asked interestedly.

"Yeah, but it hasn't worked properly in years. Of course, if there were a signal for it to latch onto that would be a different story, but I don't think New York City has a space station yet. Not the last time I checked, anyway. Independent jumps are beyond its capability at the moment." He paused and sighed, "Frustrating, to say the least. Fifty-first century tech at its best and it's not much more than a sonic screwdriver at this point. Though some would argue in favor of that, of course." He looked up at Esther with a glimmer in his eyes. "Now, how about that Chinese food?"

"Are you serious, Jack?" Esther asked as she went to heat up the food in the small microwave on the desk. "I mean about the 51st century and, well, everything?" It seemed difficult to tell what a joke was and wasn't sometimes with Jack.

"I don't say anything lightly, Esther," he replied with a wink. He took the food from her gratefully and began eating. He hadn't had Chinese food since, well, he couldn't remember the last time. It brought back a small memory. [_Sitting around the table at the Hub with Ianto and Gwen, Ianto with a napkin stuffed down the front of his shirt like a bib so that his precious suit wouldn't get stained with soy sauce and Gwen with a beer in her hand. They were all laughing at some story Jack was telling about Owen from before – the pain was dwindling when they discussed their former teammates and now they could tell stories and laugh.]_ Jack wondered if he'd ever do that with Esther, Rex, and Gwen again or if they'd all be split up and dealt with before they could come together as a team.

Esther nodded and they sat in comfortable silence. After a few minutes, she said, "Jack, you should have some water. Do you want tea or iced water?" He said the iced water sounded good and so Esther grabbed the ice bucket and told him she'd be back in just a second. She closed the hotel room door behind her and found the ice machine down the sidewalk near the hotel office. She was getting the ice when an arm slid around the front of her neck from the back in a choke hold and a man's voice whispered harshly, "Esther Drummond I suggest you don't move." She felt the point of a knife in her side as a warning, and she stiffened in fear. How had they found them so fast? This was impossible unless they'd known from the start what they were driving.

"Stay in front and take me to your room, Ms. Drummond. I need to see Jack Harkness." The man's voice was young and accented, slightly Italian, she thought to herself. Not exactly CIA crisp, and she could tell the man wasn't wearing the CIA standard suit from the arm that held her neck.

"Who are you?" She asked, "And why do you think I know who you're talking about? I'm just trying to get some ice for my soda."

The young man chuckled. "It's okay, Ms. Drummond. I'm here to help Jack Harkness if he'll let me, though my orders said nothing about helping the sidekicks. I never liked sidekicks. Sidekicks are usually just distracting." His voice was velvety and smooth, and he spoke with a cockiness she could hear.

Esther _wanted_ to distract him. If Jack noticed she was gone too long then she might stand a chance. "Orders from whom? Why would I take you to him?"

"Two reasons, miss. One, I have a knife and you have an ice bucket. Two, like I said, I'm here to help. You two need to fly under the radar. You're not doing such a great job at that so far. I can offer my services to help in that regard." He nudged the knife point a bit and she cringed. She delayed another moment and then said, "Fine. Our room is this way." And she walked down the sidewalk to their room again. She fished around in her pocket for the key and had an idea. She knocked on the door. "Jack? I seem to have misplaced my room key. Can you get the door for me?" She waited, knowing it was asking a lot of her boss with the bullet wound, but she needed this situation to change as soon as possible.

When the door opened a few moments later, Jack and his Webley were waiting for Esther and the young man with the knife. As soon as the man moved like he might use the knife, Jack lunged and knocked it out of his hand with his gun, pulling Esther by the arm quickly, surprising the young man who was expecting Jack to be lying on a bed hurt. Jack swept the man's legs out from under him with his own feet and then knelt over him with his gun at the young man's temple. "Now," Jack said in a venomous tone, "What do you want with us and who the hell are you?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So I'm kind of on a roll with this one right now (avoiding **_**real**_** work I should be doing…), and I'm excited about the new character that burrowed into my plan rather unannounced. Thank you to LadyDeb and ThomEGemcity for their kind reviews. I hope you like this one, too! I took the line from MD 8 where Jack said, 'you're trying to protect me?' and she said something along the lines of 'I don't feel the need to do that, despite my grandfather's wishes.' (not verbatim). I also read something by someone else where Angelo was sending people out to protect Jack and people Jack loved (LadyDeb, I think that was yours). I loved the idea and needed another character, so thanks for the idea! **

Jack's voice startled Esther into taking a step back from him as she took in the situation. She had heard him angry before, but not like this. This sounded. . . dangerous. She saw the young man on the floor pale with the same reaction, and he stared up at Jack with a shocked look on his face, truly seeing Jack for the first time. Esther saw a look of awe and fear course through the man's steely grey eyes and she saw him consciously set his face after realizing his self-betrayal. He put his hands up and looked at the pair of them. His eyes slid back to Jack after assessing the situation and they lit with triumph as his confidence returned. Esther looked at Jack as he waited for the man's answer and knew Jack recognized something about the man as his own features clouded for just a moment as well.

Jack took in the man's lithe frame, not doubting his physical strength at all. He knew he wasn't in the shape for an actual fight with this kid. The kid was probably in his late twenties and he had glittering grey eyes and a small smile crept across his face. His hair was dark black and straight, not overly long but brushed back from his face and down to his shoulders. He wasn't a big man, and the glimmer in his eyes as he took in Jack's frame seemed oddly familiar to Jack. His smile looked familiar as well, which was disconcerting to say the least. Jack repeated himself, "Who the hell are you?"

_["You are my great-grandson, and I am proud of you," his great-grandfather rasped, and Stefano sat cross-legged on the bedroom floor and listened carefully as his great-grandfather explained for the first time __why__ they must protect Captain Jack Harkness. He heard the words and understood, but what he really heard was the love and awe. His great-grandfather spoke of Jack Harkness in awe, and made him sound like a super hero. He pointed out Jack's flaws as well, since it's often our flaws that cause our downfall, and the Captain's pride and confidence could get in the way. But Stefano listened as his great-grandfather described the bravest, most handsome, and strongest man he'd ever heard of, at least at the beginning. The stories changed a bit as he got older, and when he began observing Captain Harkness himself he formed his own picture, not the same as the worshipful one his great-grandfather tended to paint, but worshipful in his own way.]_

"My name, Captain Harkness, is Stefano Colosante, and I have a letter for you from my great-grandfather. I think you'll want to read it. I'm not here to hurt either of you; the knife was to get your attention, Miss Drummond, and to convince you to get me this far. Hopefully the letter will do the rest. The CIA spoiled our opportunity to come together sooner, and I promise I have no loyalty to them." Stefano's voice was lilting and calm, and as he spoke to both of them he kept his eyes on Jack the whole time as if recognizing things himself. "Please, may I get it out for you? I do have a gun in my coat pocket, but you can take it if you wish." His Italian accent was soft, almost unnoticeable, but definitely there.

Jack just stared, and Esther noticed his hand holding the Webley starting to shake. She leaned over Stefano Colosante and found the gun he was talking about and took it from him. She collected the knife Jack had kicked and set it on the table by the bed. She went to stand next to Jack, putting her arm on his elbow to steady him. Stefano pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Jack, who took it and backed toward the bed. His breaths were coming out ragged through his teeth, so Esther pointed the gun at Stefan and Jack sat down on the edge of the bed, opening the letter. His breathing slowed as he read the words on the page and was transported back to another hotel room ninety years before.

_Jack,_

_ This is a letter I've given my great-grandson, Stefano, along with express instructions to find you and offer his services for protection once the madness starts. I hope you'll accept this as a gift from an old friend. Please try and trust Stefano; he has been training for this since he was a young boy, you see. I've known that he was the right choice as protector for a very long time. He used to sit and listen to the stories in rapt fascination, asking all the right questions and finding answers even I had not seen. Ask him how he found the null field chip sometime and you'll get a good story from one so young. Actually, you can ask Stefano anything about me, about you, about the Families and he'll tell you. He's sharp and has memorized the stories. That's one reason I know he's a good choice for you. Don't let his youth put you off, though I'm not sure how old he'll be when he joins you._

_ Youth is something you have plenty of though, isn't it? Well, the good kind of youth – a strong body, a sharp mind, and a zeal for the unknown. Perhaps I should warn Stefano about you instead, but he knows you as well as someone who's never met you possibly could, and he's smart. Whatever happens from here is out of my control. _

_ I am sorry, Jack. I have wanted to say that for over eighty years, but I was afraid to approach you and do so. I hope Stefano is a braver man than I ever was; I think he must be. I was a coward, Jack, and you were right to abandon me. I would have led you down the wrong path. But now I can help you. I've built my own family heritage thanks to you and your advice to me those many years ago. I did save my money, I did keep the hope that one day things will get better, and I did find someone to love in your place. You see, I couldn't get rid of my beliefs so easily, Jack. You kept talking like it should be easy, but it's hard to defeat indoctrination. Guilt would have eaten me alive if I hadn't met my wife. She knew your story, too, and mine, and she never condemned me for it or stood in the way of my life's work. _

_ What was that work, you may ask now? It was the man sitting in front of you, ready to give his life for you because his life is the life of my family. He is the culmination of three generations of people wanting to protect the one person who can save everyone. _

_You can save us. Protect your body, don't let the Families get hold of you, and you'll save us all. They want you and will stop at nothing to get you. They think they own you and deserve you already, you know. You told me about them once, the three men who bargained over you as you hung in misery in that basement because of me. They don't own you, Jack, but they will try. They are villains and they are clever, so let Stefano help you and whoever you're working with through his knowledge and his strength. Let him help keep you safe, whether you think you need it or not. Use his knowledge and accept my gift. He's very precious to me, and I know he will be a good man by the time he finds his way to you. Ask him anything you want in order to prove what I'm saying is true, and then go forward and defeat the Families in their treachery. _

_Ever yours, Angelo_

Jack must have read the letter three times before looking at the man sitting on the floor in front of him, just waiting patiently. Finally, he looked up into the young man's eyes and stared. "When did he give you this?" Jack asked. He knew that Angelo had not really been living for a long while, despite his heartbeat.

"Fifteen years ago. It was just before he began cooling his body, and I kept up my training after he left us to do so," Stefano responded calmly, never breaking Jack's gaze.

"You're sitting on the floor unarmed; being held by a gut-shot man and a woman who's never really shot a gun. Why should I think you can help protect us?" Jack questioned condescendingly.

Without answering, Stefan leapt toward Jack, grabbing his wrist and twisting the gun from his hand, ducking Esther's reach and grabbing his own gun back from her. He ended up standing near the table with both guns, aiming at Esther's heart and Jack's head. "Because I don't want to hurt you, so I wasn't trying very hard." He said coldly.

Jack grimaced. "Okay, okay. Can we put the guns down? I think we'd all feel better then." Stefano just shrugged and placed both guns on the table next to the knife and stepped back toward the door. He looked at Jack and cocked his head.

"I won't stay if you don't want me to stay. But I will tell you that you should both leave this place soon if you don't want the CIA catching up with you. Oh, and you'll never really be rid of me from this point on whether I stay or not," Stefano said quietly.

Esther was watching Jack as Stefano made his pronouncement, and she walked to where he was sitting and took the letter from his shaky hand. He had turned a bad shade of white as Stefano stood down and she knew his exertion and whatever emotional punch the letter had delivered was taking its toll on him.

"Jack, you need to lie down," she said gently. "Let's let him stay at least until you get some rest, okay? I want to check your wound."

Jack nodded, swallowing the nausea that had risen as the situation was diffused and his adrenaline wore off. He did trust the young man in front of him for some reason, and he could see Angelo's smile in Stefano's, and he could hear Angelo's voice when the young man spoke in that quiet manner.

_[A companion. He looked at Angelo and he knew he could have a companion like the Doctor did and it wouldn't have to be love. It could be devotion and loyalty and lust and then Angelo wouldn't have to feel guilty and Jack could have someone with him while he waited. It sounded appealing. But a companion has to accept the leader for who he is; just as Jack had always accepted whatever the Doctor could give him, even if he wanted more. Angelo could have been that companion, until he found out Jack's secret and it scared him to the very core of his soul.]_

Jack tried to lie back on the bed, but even that proved difficult on his own, and he grunted in pain. Stefan leaned over and helped pull Jack back to the pillows as Esther pressed the painkiller shot into his abdomen. He looked at her sharply when she did that, and she just shrugged. "You need it." She proceeded to check the dressing and was not happy about what she found. Jack's exertion had torn some of the healing that had taken place and the wound was oozing blood again. She cleaned it and put some pressure on it before re-bandaging it, tighter.

Jack looked up at Stefano and said, in a choked voice, "Why was I waiting for Angelo when he got out of prison?"

Stefano smiled. "Because you thought you loved him." He paused and then added, "And if Angelo hadn't been scared out of his mind, he would have loved you back."

Jack closed his eyes then, and took a deep, ragged breath. They were all quiet, and Jack fell asleep in exhaustion.

As Esther watched Jack drift off to sleep, she stared down at the paper in her hands. She wasn't about to read it; that was for Jack to share with her if he wanted to, but not for her to pry into. She did look at the paper itself, though, and realized that it was old and worn, wrinkled as if it were carried around for a long time. Fifteen years. She looked at the man standing near the door watching Jack and really saw him for the first time. He was apparently middle aged; she put him in his early thirties if she had to guess. That meant he was just a teenager when he was given this charge from his great-grandfather and began whatever 'training' he was talking about.

"Would you like a drink?" Esther asked Stefano as he stood watching Jack sleep.

He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. "No, thank you. However, we should pack your things and discuss your plan. You two have stupidly been using the GPS on your car, albeit sporadically. Why the CIA hasn't pounced on you I'm not sure."

Esther thought Rex might have something to do with that as she sank down in a chair realizing how stupid using the GPS really was now that she thought about it. Jack must not have thought about it in his tired state, either. "Oh my god," she said quietly, "We were even going to stay another day until you showed up."

Stefano smiled, "You've been under a lot of stress, and running from the law isn't really your forte, is it? And Jack's been out of it most of the time, so I'd just count yourself fortunate and move on if I were you. I can help you plan a route and get packed up while he sleeps a bit. Then I'll help you get him to your new ride and on your way if he doesn't want me to come along."

"You said we couldn't get rid of you," Esther said, asking without asking. She didn't know why, but Stefano made her nervous.

"I'm very good at what I do, Miss Drummond," He told her gently, "If you and Jack don't want me with you, I'll keep watching and I'll run interference when you need it, but I'm not just leaving."

"If Angelo Colosante gave this to you fifteen years ago, you were probably only a kid, right?"She asked.

He nodded, "I was seventeen."

"When I was seventeen I went to college," Esther replied.

"So did I. I went to NYU and majored in political science. I got a master's from Princeton in business before I was twenty-five, and now I'm thirty two," Stefano answered her. "Since we can share more stories on the road, we should pack and plan," he said, deflecting the conversation away from him. Esther pulled out a map from their supplies, along with a pen, and the two of them sat down to discuss routes.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Two things quick: One, someone asked what Jack kept dreaming about, so I thought of this. Two, even an English teacher had to look up how to use the word 'plead' correctly when using it several times. Sheesh. One word should not cause such trouble. I hope it makes sense. Oh, and thanks again for the support and kind words. I own nothing. Not even a Torchwood t-shirt. Yet.**

[_The gas in the tank was thick. The monster inside the gas was pressed up against the glass of the tank and spewing a vile, green sludge and screaming, and Jack was pleading. Again. Over and over he pleaded with the alien who would not listen, who was too high and too vengeful. But he did it anyway, pled. He seemed to be spending his dreams pleading. "Please, not him!" "Please, we'll talk again and work it out!" "Please!" "Stop!" . . . over and over and over and over and over and over… and then he was pleading with Angelo to stop them from killing him in the basement. "Please!" "No!" "Make them stop!" . . . over and over and over and over. . . and then he was pleading with the Master to stop hurting him on the Valient. "Please!" "Stop!" over and over and over and over. No one ever, ever listened. Jack never got what he wanted, and in the dreams it was not Jack hanging in the basement or being tortured by the master, it was Jack standing off to the side, pleading on Ianto's behalf.]_

"He's not really sleeping well anyway. We should wake him and go," Stefano told Esther as he stood, watching the Captain sweating and murmuring in his sleep.

"He never sleeps well," Esther replied, "But he needs it anyway, just a little longer, until we pack up the van, okay?" She was worried about Jack's previous exertion with Stefano, and she also just really wanted to put off the departure. Why she wanted that, she wasn't sure. She was having second thoughts about them running, she speculated. It had been three days now and her own adrenaline was starting to wear off. Despite the knowledge that she needed to help get Jack reunited with Gwen, she really just wanted to go back to the CIA with Rex and back to looking for patterns. She recognized that she was tired, but since she and Stefano had sat down with the map and planned a route, a small thought had wheedled its way into her brain, saying that Jack didn't really need her if he had Stefano, and if he trusted him to come along with them, then why couldn't she just go home?

_["Are you going home for summer break, Esther?" Her roommate asked her one day as the break approached. Esther shook her head, no. She had left home at seventeen to go to college, and as Sarah bounced from job to job, place to place, boyfriend to boyfriend, Esther had just killed time on school breaks anyway, only being sure to spend holidays with her sister, wherever she happened to be at the time. She checked in on the girls when she could, kept up with their arrangements, but she never really stayed anywhere in particular, not wanting to get sucked into Sarah's world completely, being happy to be the one who kept the girls anchored to the world outside her sister's problematic existence as much as she could. She would pay the extra fee to stay at school over the break, working an extra job in the summer to pay for it. Home? The word had lost most of its meaning after her parents died anyway.]_

Stefano was regarding her with curiosity. He watched as she gathered her things into the small duffel bag she had bought and then gathered Jack's things into a bag she had bought for him, and then gathered all of the medical supplies and cleaned up the room as she went. She was quiet, and so was Stefano. He turned his attention back to Captain Harkness.

_["That's him?" He asked his father as they stood at the steps of The Millennium Center in Cardiff, watching Captain Harkness walk across the plass toward the fountain in the middle. When he took a step and disappeared, Stefano started. "Where did he go?" He cried, stepping off the steps and toward the fountain, but his father just grabbed his arm, pulled him back and steered him away from the Center and toward a nearby coffee shop. He sat his son down and told him about the entrance to the Hub, and then asked him what he thought of the man he'd been studying for so long and had finally seen.]_

"You need to ditch the minivan," Stefano said as Esther threw the last of the supplies into the backpack she had purchased. She looked up sharply.

"Why?" She asked. "Even if the GPS gave us away, do they know we have the minivan?"

Stefano sat down at the small table and leaned over to untie his trainers and retie them tighter. "You got it from Jim McDonnel, Karen Sutton's brother-in-law in Carson City. He gave it to you saying that you didn't need to return it, and he had taken a seat out in the back." Stefano looked up after finishing his shoes. "I figure that if I know about it then you should ditch it. Even if the CIA hasn't tracked you yet, the Families might, so better safe than sorry." He stood up. "I have a sedan we can use; it's unregistered and has fake plates. We should be fine."

"That is if Jack wants you along," Esther retorted, feeling a bit insulted by his matter-of-fact, here's-how-you-guys-have-screwed-up-so-far attitude. Or maybe she just felt stupid. Either way, she couldn't keep the snark out of her voice.

"We should wake him up and find out," Stefano said smoothly, ignoring Esther's tone completely, which was all the more irritating. "We need to get you out of here. You can have the car even if he doesn't want me along."

Esther nodded and walked over to the bed. She hated to wake Jack, but Stefano was right. They needed to move. She reached down and gently shook his shoulder.

Jack woke with a start again, and when he looked around the room he saw right away that they had cleaned up, packed. He saw the map strewn across the table with several lines marked on it. His abdomen was burning, he was still exhausted, and he was startled by Stefano's presence, even though he remembered right away everything that had happened. Protector, Angelo had given him a protector if he wanted it; he had given him one even if he didn't want it, from the sound of things. As Jack shook himself out of his slumber he looked the young man over again, noticing the similarities and differences from his former lover. Stefano was taller by far, probably close to Jack's height from the looks of him. Stefano was also more confident in his carriage; Jack remembered Angelo being so unsure of himself, a foreigner in so many ways. Stefano had a commanding presence; Jack had a hard time looking away from him, wanting to follow him with his eyes around the room. He forced himself to find Esther, though, standing next to him, looking down with worry in her eyes.

"Jack, we need to leave this hotel. Stefano and I have planned a route to New York; it will take longer, but it avoids major roads and major cities. I think it's good," She said confidently.

"Wait," Jack said. "Don't you people have a plane of your own or something that can get us there faster?" He looked hard at Stefano.

The younger man sighed. "Yes, but when you all fled the house the CIA left a team behind to make sure you didn't come back to us for help, and they scoured the premises. They found our plane and grounded it. Besides," he said after a pause, "It would be impossible. They know we have access to planes and will be watching the airports like hawks. We have a better chance in a car."

Jack smiled, "You keep saying 'we.' Are you assuming I'm going to let you tag along?"

Stefano gazed at Jack with an unreadable look on his face. "I'm hoping you will, Captain. I promise to help you both, and you can ditch me at any point. Like I said earlier, though, I'm not going away from you from here on out. I can be a part of your team or I can watch it from a distance. You can decide which role is best for me."

Jack looked to Esther. She was watching the men carefully, noticing how Stefano deferred to Jack and, while he didn't hesitate to meet Jack's eye, was certainly making it clear that Jack was in charge. Jack said, "What do you think, Esther? He could help with the driving and you might be able to dodge my dirty jokes completely." He grinned at her, but he was sincere in his question. He wanted to know what she thought.

She didn't hesitate, "I think that if you trust him then we could use his help. We could have gotten ourselves killed by using the GPS, and I don't know anything about operating on the run. If something happens to you, he could help." She paused for a moment and then said, "Besides, if he's worrying about keeping us safe, I can worry about figuring out what the hell is going on. Right?"

Jack grinned at her. His confidence in her grew every time she was faced with a challenge, and he was sure she'd be able to hold her own against Stefano if necessary. Accepting a veritable stranger's help in such a dire situation went against Jack's own codes, but there was something about this young man that made him override his instincts. "We should go, then. I want to look at your route once we get going, and Stefano, you've got to fill us in on this Family situation. We're in the dark with only names to go on." Stefano nodded.

"Give me five minutes to do a security sweep outside," Stefano said briskly and he slipped out the door without waiting for a response. Esther took the opportunity to check Jack's wound again, and she gave him a shot as well, knowing that the move to the car was going to be tough again. The two of them waited, then, for Stefano to come back.

"You trust him already, Jack?" Esther asked. This seemed odd to her.

"I don't trust myself, Esther," he responded quickly. "I can't rely on my own body or my own ability to think clearly all the time right now. I trust you to take care of me, believe me. I don't think we'd be lost without him. But if he can give us more information to work with and help keep us safe, then yeah, I trust him. For now." Jack paused, and then added, "Angelo, well, he loved me, I know this. The only way he knew how, that is. And if he built his family up with helping us as his goal, then I won't dishonor that work. Besides, if he makes a wrong move we'll ditch him, and I'll make sure he doesn't hurt us." And his voice had hardened by the time he finished, and Esther knew that Jack would be watching Stefano carefully, and so would she.

They waited the five minutes, and a couple more on top of that. Finally, the door opened and Stefano, who had obviously been in a fight, said breathlessly, "Come on. We've got to go. They had two snipers waiting for you." He stepped to the bed and helped Jack up, carrying most of his weight out to the long blue sedan waiting around the corner from their room. He laid Jack gently down in the front seat and Jack slid the seat back and laid it down a bit. Esther tossed their bags into the trunk that Stefano had popped open on their way out, and as she did so, Stefano asked, with blood running down the side of his face and a bit sheepishly, "Could you drive, just for a bit? I'm a little dizzy." She nodded and he handed her the keys, closing the trunk and climbing into the seat behind her as she started the car and pulled away from the hotel, following the route they had plotted earlier.

Stefano had pulled a towel out of the bag in the back seat and was holding it to his head, trying to stop the bleeding from the cut above his left eye, which was already starting to bruise. Jack turned a bit to get a look at the young man, and said, "Your arm is bleeding through your shirt. What happened?"

Looking down his arm and seeing the cut across his arm just above his left wrist, Stefano cursed and switched gears, trying to get his shirt rolled up to look at the cut. "I took care of the first guy pretty easily; caught him off guard. The second one was across the way and while I did get to his gun before he knew where I was, he had gotten the slip from the first one I got to when he didn't answer his comms. He caught me with the butt of his gun before I could get it away from him and then he had a knife. Shit." He peeled the shirt off and blood flowed from his arm. Jack could see that his hand was shaking as he tried to wrap the cut, and blood from his head was dripping in his eye.

"Esther, pull over. We need to get him cleaned up," Jack said. "If I do want to stretch out back there later it's gonna be soaked in blood if we don't." Stefano shot him an exasperated look and Esther pulled to the curb. She climbed out and opened the back door, and Stefano said, "I just need to wrap my arm," but when he climbed out of the car he swayed a bit. Esther groaned and popped the trunk, pulling out the bag with the bandages and carefully cleaning and bandaging Stefano's arm while he kept the towel on his bleeding head. He smiled at her as she finished, saying "Thanks. It isn't the best start, but we should be safe for a bit." She nodded and they climbed back into the car. Stefano leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes, and he knew Captain Harkness was watching him.

He couldn't believe he'd been beaten up the first day. What a way to make an impression on the Captain. [_Nerves. He was a bundle of nerves as he watched Esther Drummond steal Captain Harkness away from the Colosante estate that early morning. This was going to be it. This was the real beginning of his job, and he would be meeting the Captain soon, if all went the way he thought it would. He watched as Esther Drummond used nerve and intellect to figure a way to save the Captain; he had been told to leave that part to her by the ones who had been studying her. They knew she could get him to safety faster than if Stefano interfered right away. So he waited and watched. And got nervous. He hadn't wanted to be nervous, and he hoped that as soon as he really stepped in and began that the nerves would go away. But he wanted to meet Jack Harkness. He wanted to sit and talk to him and learn from him and see the light in his eye that had inspired his great-grandfather to sacrifice his whole family for this one man. He wanted to find out if the work was worth it, he wanted to find out if the man was worth it, and he wanted to find out if he could do what his family expected him to do.] _Another way to think of the departure from the hotel was that he had not been beaten up, but had beaten two professionals on his own. So a crack on the head and a cut on the arm weren't too bad. And Stefano Colosante was confident in himself, so when he took a few deep breaths and looked at it this way, he settled down. Now if only the car would just stop spinning.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So here we go: It's ****total**** AU time. I have read and re-watched and asked other fans, but the consensus is that Miracle Day made no sense. So here I go, taking threads of ideas that I sort of got and trying to iron them out into something comprehensible. Think of MD as simply a skeleton outline for this story. That's it. If you have questions, PM me and I'll try to explain my reasoning for certain things.**

Esther followed the route laid out by Stefano for a couple of hours as the two men slept, Jack fitfully as usual and Stefano soundly. She double checked the map and then she settled in to drive, thinking about what she already knew about the three families and wondering where Jack fit in. Everything had started with the "Torchwood virus," really, where the internet had been flooded with references to Torchwood and then someone had mysteriously wiped all traces of Torchwood from cyberspace. Since Jack _was_ Torchwood, it stood to reason that the Miracle was inextricably tied to Torchwood. If she added the three families into the equation, she knew the connection would be the answer. But it was proving difficult to find that connection, and Esther was frustrated. She was good at connections and she'd been working on this one just long enough for it to be frustrating. She hoped that whatever Stefano knew about the Families would bring the connections to light.

Stefano stirred in the back seat, but Jack was still sleeping in the passenger front seat. Esther watched in the rearview mirror as Stefano woke up, took in Jack's sleeping figure, and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Are you feeling better?" Esther asked lightly.

He nodded, "I have a headache, but it's manageable. How is the drive?"

Esther smiled, "Hey, as long as Jack's not trying to fill the time with dirty jokes about rugby players, I'm good." She chuckled as Stefano looked confused. "I never heard the punch line, or I'd share," Esther added.

"I can drive if you'd like me to, Ms. Drummond," Stefano said, leaning forward in the seat, ignoring her comment about the joke.

"If we're going to have to spend days in the car together, you can call me Esther," She replied.

"All right," Stefano said. He still sounded formal to her, though, and she realized that nothing he had said yet had felt particularly conversational. She told him she'd pull off at the next town, but he shook his head and told her to pull over to the side of the road instead. It wasn't a busy road, so it was okay with her. She climbed out of the car, but she stopped Stefano as he tried to step around her so she could get to the back seat. She put her hand on his chest and said, "One thing, first. Tell me what's in the plastic case in the trunk. I saw it when I threw our bags back there." She tried to sound assertive, and he stood glaring down at her for a moment before relenting.

"It's a gun case. There's a rifle and plenty of ammunition for that and my pistol," he said and then went to move around her again without another word. She let him. They both climbed into the car and he drove for a while in silence. Esther was tired, but her curiosity got the better of her again.

"How is Jack connected to the Families?" She asked abruptly. "I need to start piecing this together if we're going to be able to help Gwen when we get to Wales.

Stefano glanced back at her in the mirror and looked over at Jack, sleeping in the front seat. He began slowly, deliberately, by asking a question in return.

"What do you know about the Captain and my great-grandfather?" He asked. Esther told him what Jack had said earlier, that Angelo had loved him the only way he knew, but that she didn't know much more.

"Captain Harkness, well, you know that before the Miracle he couldn't die." Esther nodded and Stefano continued. "Well, when my great-grandfather learned that secret from him, he betrayed the Captain terribly." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "Angelo panicked, is how he tells it. He panicked and showed the people he and Captain Harkness were staying with how he could come back to life from being killed. That's when it all began." Stefan's tone was tired, sad. This would be his first retelling of the stories that had been told over and over and over to him since he was a child, and he realized even more in the _speaking_ of how truly sad the story was. "They chained the Captain up and killed him. They brought in an audience and killed him again. And again. And again. Angelo didn't know what to do once the crowd had gathered; he didn't know how to stop it. There were too many scared people in one place to be able to stop it. The fear of the people held him prisoner in his own way. And Captain Harkness just kept dying and coming back no matter how they killed him."

Esther listened, horrified. When she had learned that Jack used to be immortal, this was not how she imagined it. She imagined living forever and seeing amazing things, and she had envied Jack his ability to watch the patterns of history play out in front of his eternal eyes. This story, however, she did not envy. And as she listened to the horrors of what Jack endured at the hands of this one scared mob, she could only imagine other deaths, resurrections, mobs and betrayals that he must have suffered over the years. _This_ story, though, was terribly important and she wrenched her attention back to Stefano's words.

"Word spread on the street that the Italians had a secret, a devil, locked in the basement under the inn. It drew the attention of three men in particular, and they came to witness the Captain's deaths and resurrections for themselves. When they saw what the Captain could endure, they saw his potential as a tool, as a test subject, as a prisoner. So they bargained for him. They fought over him. But finally, they compromised and decided to take him together, all three. And he would have been taken by them right away, but Angelo finally gathered his courage and snuck in to release Captain Harkness from the chains and help him escape. The Families were incensed. They caught Angelo and beat him within an inch of his life, trying to get him to tell them where the Captain had gone. But Captain Harkness had given up on Angelo and had disappeared, and no one knew where he had gone. Angelo presumed back to Cardiff, where he'd come from, but he didn't know and he couldn't say. One of his own uncles negotiated Angelo's release from the Families, and he ran away to Vegas, just as the Captain had once jokingly suggested. He did well there, too. But that's another story." Stefano paused, stealing a glance back at Esther in the back seat, lost in thought.

"He made his fortune in Vegas?" Jack asked softly, having woken up toward the end of the story.

Stefano nodded and looked over at Jack. "It sounds cliché, but he did. He gambled a little, but it was mostly a hotel business he ended up running and then buying that built the fortune."

"I still don't understand," Esther asked. "They wanted Jack for themselves, why not just capture him?"

Jack shot her a glare, "I can tell you two reasons: one, they'd have to stand in line, and two, I'm not that easily captured." He looked down at his gunshot wound and added, "At least I didn't used to be."

Stefano nodded, "Jack had Torchwood, and the Families feared it. It meant he had access to a lot of alien tech and things to protect himself, and he was always a part of it, surrounded by the people who wouldn't take kindly to a capture, and the Families didn't want to risk exposure. So they didn't think the effort was worth it. When they realized the power was in his _blood_, they simply resorted to gathering that where they could."

Jack realized the implications of that last statement before Esther did. "You mean they trailed me and gathered my blood over the years?" He shook his head incredulously. "Now that's just weird." He paused, "Besides, my blood doesn't make me immortal. It has _nothing_ to do with my immortality."

Stefano smiled at Jack. "Well, they realized that your blood _does_ have to do with this Blessing they found, and it was the key to the miracle. They had to gather as much of that as possible and wait for it to affect the Blessing. So they sent their people to follow you and when you would die in the field, which you did a lot, they'd gather your blood before you came around. We tried to stop them when we could, but they often outnumbered us. Of course, that got more difficult for them in the last three years or so. It's taken them longer to get the last of what they needed, but your incarceration after the Hub explosion gave them what they needed to finish."

"Why were the last three years or so more difficult?" Esther asked.

"Ianto Jones and the rest of Jack's Torchwood team made it very difficult," Stefano replied softly. He knew this was going to be hard for the Captain to hear and had hoped the conversation wouldn't go this way.

Jack's breath hitched, and he asked very quietly, "What do you mean? What did Ianto have to do with any of this?"

Stefano replied gently, "Captain, before you assembled the team that Mr. Jones was a part of, you spent most of your time in the field alone. The director sent you on the difficult missions that no one else could do, and that meant that you died in the field alone. Gathering your blood was easier. Once your own team that _you_ led found out about your immortality, particularly Mr. Jones, you weren't alone when you died. They protected you while you were dead, particularly Mr. Jones, who did not let you resurrect alone. It made the Families' task very difficult, and it held off the miracle, which is a very good thing. I imagine it was very good for you as well," he finished with a small smile.

Esther watched Jack very carefully. She had not heard much about his old team; it was a subject Jack never brought up on his own, and Gwen had only said a few things. Esther could see the tears well up in Jack's eyes as Stefano made his point, and knew that this team that Rex had claimed Jack got killed was incredibly important to the man, and she suddenly thought back to the photo she had found in Jack's wallet.

Stefano _knew_ Captain Harkness's team was important, and their reaction to his immortality was different than what the Captain usually ran into with people, and Stefano recalled the first time he witnessed the protection Ianto Jones gave to the Captain. _[Cardiff at midnight in the rain. Why did he have to be on watch tonight? Last night was beautiful and clear, but he had to spend it in the gym while his cousin was on watch, and now he got stuck with the rain shift. He followed the Torchwood SUV as it exited the parking garage near the Hub and headed to Butte Town Park. Stefano parked his car at a safe distance from the SUV and watched as the Captain and Ianto Jones climbed out of the car, arming themselves quickly and efficiently with Weevil spray and stun guns. Stefano climbed out of his car and watched the two men walk into the park on their guard. The noise he heard a minute later was like nothing he'd heard before. He had seen the team go against individual Weevils before, and he knew that the Captain couldn't stay dead. But to see the two men face a pack of three Weevils together and to hear the screams and growls and gunfire was something he hadn't been prepared for until he saw it. The two men were agile and quick, while the three Weevils tried to surprise them. The Captain and Ianto Jones worked together well, Stefano could tell, and before long Jones took down the first Weevil with his spray and stunned it. As he was doing that, though, the two others ganged up on the Captain, and it was only a few minutes later that Jones and Harkness managed to stun the last of the Weevils. Stefano watched as Jones approached the Captain and caught him in his arms as he crumpled to the ground, bleeding out from several wounds. Stefano watched as Jones gently laid the Captain down and moved to throw the Weevils in the boot of the SUV. It wasn't an easy task, but a few minutes later he was finished and returned to the Captain. He gently lifted his head and pulled him into his lap, brushing the hair out of the Captain's eyes and pulling his handkerchief out and wiping blood from the Captain's face. Stefano watched as Jones tenderly brushed the Captain's cheek, leaned over his face, and whispered to him with tears streaming down his own cheeks. He rocked back and forth, whispering and crying, even though Stefano suspected that he knew the Captain would be back with him soon. A moment later the Captain gasped back to life, frantically sucking in air and wrapping his own arms around Jones in a truly desperate grip. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, just holding each other. Stefano thought it was quite possibly the most horrifying and the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.]_

Jack listened to Stefano's words about Ianto protecting him from the vulture-like families and couldn't stop the tears filling his eyes. He turned his head to the side to stare out the window at the passing yellow fields and broad plains of the Midwest and noticed how their emptiness matched his own. "He promised he'd never let me come back alone," Jack whispered, and the tears escaped from his pale blue eyes as the landscape passed by in a blur.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry this took so long. I'm also doing NaNoWriMo here, and have yet to decide whether this is the story for that or another one that I'm starting. Anyway, thanks again for all of the kind reviews and support! Hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween!**

They all rode in silence for a few minutes, respecting Jack's sorrow, but Esther finally broke the silence. "Did the Families know what Jack's blood was actually doing? You mentioned 'the blessing' before, and I've not heard that phrase."

Stefano looked sheepishly back at Esther for a moment before responding. "We don't really know, quite honestly," he said slowly. "We have our theories, and we know that the "blessing" is responsible for the Miracle, and we know that it's Jack's blood that combined with the "blessing" to create the Miracle, but we don't know what it actually is. We managed to capture and interrogate a few members of the Families over the years, but it seems that they keep their information pretty segregated and only a few know the whole story. When Angelo realized that the Families were targeting Jack, he tried to find out what he could, but they're very good at secrets. What we do is try to protect Jack from them, but we're not exactly sure _why_."

[_Stefano yelled at his grandfather, Angelo's son. Stefano was sixteen years old and being told to pack up for a two-week intensive martial arts workshop over in Japan. Stefano was already a black belt and these two weeks were over spring break at school. He was going to have to miss a week of school and the break was already being filled by his friends with plans for hiking trips and games and a party or two. "I'm going to miss two exams! They make them twice as hard for makeup exams! Not to mention the fun I'm going to miss over break! You want me to do this thing, but I've already got my belt! I don't want to go! I'm sixteen and you can't make me!" His grandfather looked at him calmly. "I don't have to make you, Stefano. Sit down." He sat down reluctantly and his grandfather sat down next to him. He put his arm around Stefano's shoulder and spoke calmly. "You have your black belt, yes. Everyone who goes to this workshop has to have their black belt. You won't be alone. What you will be is the youngest man there. What you'll be is training harder than anyone your age has trained. What you will _become_ is someone who can protect an immortal man who can save the world. This is not about youth or parties or friends. I know it's hard on you. But you will go and you will train and you will work your body so that when you go protect Captain Harkness and the people he loves you will be ready and you will be a part of saving this world, because what is coming from the Families is going to be insidious and horrible and devastating. If we do not do our part, if you do not do your part, we will all regret it later. You're part of something bigger than this place, Stefano." He pulled out the book of Jack Harkness' life created by Angelo and set it on the table in front of the youth. "Read it again. Read it again and then tell me that your fun is more important." He stood up and started to walk away. Stefano looked at the book and back at his grandfather as he pulled the book onto his lap. "I hate him.__"__ Stefano said softly. " Do you understand? I _hate_ him." His grandfather turned back to his grandson, "I know. We've all hated him."]_

Jack took a deep breath, trying to clear away the rush of emotions that he was left with after Stefano's story. He closed his eyes and, surprisingly, fell asleep. He slept for several hours and Stefano drove in silence, thinking back to everything he'd learned about the Families from his parents and grandparents. What he didn't tell Esther was that he had done extensive research on the Families himself, but couldn't track them either.

Esther slept as well, thinking that she should try and spell Stefano later if she could. A few hours later as they crossed the border from Utah into Colorado, she and Stefano traded places and Jack didn't even wake up. Esther drove for a few hours into the night, and they stopped to check on Jack and change his dressing. They got some food, but Jack said he wasn't hungry and went back to sleep. The next morning as they crossed from Colorado into Nebraska, Jack woke up and said, "I need to call Gwen. I'd like to talk to her in private, so see if you can find a place to stop." Stefano was driving and he nodded, saying, "There's a town just a few miles ahead. We'll find a place to get breakfast." The next town had a promising diner, so Esther and Stefano told Jack they'd be inside while he called Gwen using one of the disposable phones Stefano had in his pack.

Jack took a deep breath and waited for Gwen to answer. It would be early afternoon in Wales and he hoped that he could catch her. He did. He heard her say "hello?" and he closed his eyes. He missed having her around to help him _so_ much. He felt more than a little lost, and he thought that feeling must be from his exhaustion. He should be fine on his own. "Gwen? It's me. Do you have a few minutes?" He asked.

Gwen squealed in delight when she heard Jack's tired voice. She had been worrying for three days and her calls had gone unanswered. "Jack! Where the bloody hell are you? I've been trying to phone you for two days!" She couldn't help sounding desperate; she was so relieved to hear his voice. She heard him try and laugh and he said, "I'm sorry. We've been a little distracted over here."

Jack told Gwen about getting to the hotel and then Stefano's arrival. Her reaction was just as he'd predicted. "You trust this bloke who shows up on your doorstep why, exactly?"

"Gwen, he's definitely Angelo's great-grandson. He knows things; he had a letter from Angelo, and he I just know he is who he says he is." Jack sounded defensive to Gwen. She knew that he was convinced, but she didn't like it.

"Jack, I'm not asking if he is who he says he is. I"m asking why you trust that he's there to help you. What if he's just leading you right to a trap?"

"He saved us once from attackers, he's been forthcoming with information, and he's helping us get to you faster." He paused. "I'm not saying he's not trouble. I was actually calling so that you can do some research for us about him and the Colosanto family. Find out what we can about Stefano, and I want you to cross reference his name with everyone we know associated with the Miracle, even Oswald Danes. I want to know if he's connected in any way other than Angelo." Jack sighed. "Look, he's quiet. He's not volunteering information, but he's answering all of our questions." He told Gwen about how the Families were collecting Jack's blood over the years and how Stefano was part of the guard around Jack in Cardiff. Her reaction made him laugh.

"Collecting your blood? Now that's just weird."

"Yeah. Once you check Stefano out, do a search on the phrase "The Blessing." I can't imagine you'll find anything since the Colosantos have been searching for years and haven't found anything, but who knows. They don't know what it is, only that my blood was necessary to put into it and trigger the Miracle." Jack sighed. "Why do I feel like this isn't even our territory? We're missing something. One thing, I bet. Once we get that one thing I'll bet we get it."

He sounded tired to Gwen. Tired and distant and frustrated. "Jack, give me a day. When do you expect to get to New York and your contacts?"

"Probably three or four days, if everything goes right." He replied.

"Then let me do this research and you call me again in a day. We'll figure it out."

"Okay," Jack said, "I"ll call you." He stopped and there was silence on the line for a long moment.

"Jack? Are you okay?" Gwen asked.

He took a deep breath, "Yeah. I guess so. Too many variables, you know? I'm not used to working with all of these variables. You're not here, we can't access our mainframes, I don't know what Esther is like in the field, I don't trust my own body, and we have someone we don't even trust completely being the one we rely on to keep us safe." He stopped again. "Not the most comfortable I've ever been."

Gwen didn't know what to say. She felt the same way but didn't have any way to make him feel better. "Let's get the answers we can, then, right? Call me tomorrow, Jack. Get some rest while you can, okay?"

"Okay," he said, "Thanks, Gwen. Hey," he added, "Is your family okay? You didn't tell me what's happening over there."

It was Gwen's turn to sound uncomfortable. "They're okay. Anwen is fine, just rolling with all of it of course. Rhys is good, looking for work and helping to take care of my dad." She took a deep breath. "Dad's bad. We had to hide him and that's making mom miserable, too, but it's so dangerous. They're doing random searches of houses looking for category ones. It's crazy."

Jack closed his eyes. "Everyone's living in fear. It's got to be part of the goal. We'll get this, Gwen. Then your dad can heal. We'll get it."

"Call me tomorrow, Jack. And let me talk to Esther now."

"What?" He was surprised.

"I'd like to talk to Esther. Just for a minute." Gwen replied.

He had to climb out of the car, which was a struggle, but Esther saw him and came out. He handed the phone to her and leaned on the car, breathing heavily. She walked away to talk to Gwen.

"He sounds awful, Esther. Tell me what's going on with this gunshot wound." Gwen asked without any preamble. Esther sighed. She knew that Jack and Gwen being separated was miserable for both of them. That's what a team was.

"He's tired, Gwen. This stuff with Stefano is turning a road trip into something more, you know?" She asked.

"Yeah. But is he healing?"

"I think so. I'm keeping an eye on the wound. I admit I'm a little worried about infection, but it's only been a little over three days since the surgery, so maybe it's just natural healing. I'm watching him, I promise." They agreed that the plan to research was a good one and Esther gave Gwen some tips to look for information. They hung up the phone and Esther turned to Jack, who was leaning against the car. "Come on in, Jack. Come get something to eat." Jack took it slowly, but he did walk into the diner and sit down. Esther brought him some soup and he got some tea. Stefano was working his way through a sandwich and some fruit, and Esther sat down with soup and a sandwich as well. They ate in silence, and Jack only made it through part of his soup when he set his spoon down and leaned back, exhausted.

"Jack, you should eat more," Esther chided him. He hadn't eaten since the hotel, and she really was getting worried about his healing. He refused, but finished his tea. They headed back to the car and Stefano took over the driving again. Jack fell back asleep quickly, and Esther said to Stefano, "How old were you when you found out about Jack?"

"I was nine," he replied. "But when we were little kids they told us stories that made him out to be some sort of super hero in stories we heard at bedtime." Esther laughed and told Stefano about the night she first met Jack and the fountain. He laughed, too. "That sounds like one of the stories when I was little. They made him out to be indestructible. When my great-grandfather told the stories Jack was charming, too." Stefano stopped and looked over at Jack. "Never mentioned him sleeping all the time," he grinned.

Esther looked over at Jack, too, "He is charming, though," she retorted.

"I don't doubt it. Bullet wounds hamper that sort of thing, though, from my experience."

They talked some more about their own ideas about the Blessing, but still didn't get very far. They would have to wait to see what Gwen found out. They drove for some hours and then stopped so Esther could check Jack's dressing. She wasn't pleased with what she found. It stung as she tried to clean it, and Jack looked flushed. She gave him a pain pill and some water, and he leaned back again in the seat. They were underway again soon.

As Jack breathed in deeply, trying to relax again as they drove on through the afternoon, the wound in his abdomen burned more than it had since the surgery, and he finally gasped as his vision even threatened to go. He was also feeling vaguely sick, but he thought it was probably just being tired. When he gasped and got even paler than he had been, though, Stefano pulled off the road and Esther jumped out of the car and ran to Jack's side, throwing open the car door. Jack was suddenly pale and sweating, and he leaned outside the door frame and threw up. He threatened to fall out of the car, but Stefano leaned over and caught his arm and shoulder, holding him while he retched. Of course, the pain from the movement was excruciating, and Jack lay back in the seat and just trembled when he was finished. He was cold, too, and had the distinct feeling that something was very wrong.

Esther leaned over and lifted Jack's shirt and pulled the dressing back. Jack gasped in pain as she did so, and she saw that it had started oozing a fluid, not a good sign. She put her hand to Jack's forehead and realized he was burning with a fever. She turned to Stefano and said, "We need to get him to a hotel. He needs to sleep well, and we've got to figure out how to get him some antibiotics. This is an infection, and it's going to be trouble."

[_"Dad, you have to go back to the doctor!" Esther cried as her father lay in bed sweating and unable to keep any food or liquid down. Her sister stood in the doorway and said, "Who's going to pay for it, Esther?" Esther whirled to face Sarah. "I don't know! He's sick, though, and his wound is turning color. I can't help him!" She felt desperate, but her father spoke up behind her, "Yes, you can, Esther. I know you can. Go get some antiseptic from the drugstore and I'll be fine." She shook her head, but she couldn't stand up to him. He was confident in her, and he insisted on staying home. She got a cool cloth and tried to make him feel more comfortable. Sarah disappeared again and Esther did what he asked and came back from the drugstore to find him filled with fever. She stayed with him through the night and kept him cool as much as possible. He started hallucinating the next morning, and that's when Esther called the ambulance. She was only twelve, but she knew the ambulance wouldn't require money, and when her father started talking to Esther's dead mother she knew that it might be too late anyway. When he told his wife he'd escape soon and be with her again, Esther's eyes filled with tears. She was waiting on the ambulance and gripping her father's hand. She pled with him, "Dad, we need you! Don't give up on me!" Sarah stood in the doorway grimly and left as soon as the ambulance arrived. Esther got to ride in the ambulance with her father and she stayed by his side as much as they let her. She held his hand as he slept, and the doctor came in to ask her questions. She hadn't slept at all the last night, she was twelve, and the doctor tried to be gentle but only succeeded in making Esther feel stupid. When her father died a day later, she still hadn't slept.]_

She knew a similar fate was in store for Jack in the sense that a hospital was not an option, but she also knew she had help this time. Stefano drove for about twenty minutes and found a small hotel off of the highway. He didn't want to stop, but he knew Esther was right about the trouble that illness would bring. He helped Jack out of the car once they got their key, and practically carried him into the room. Esther took the car and left Stefano to watch over Jack while she went for ibuprofen, Gatorade, soup, and tea. When she got back, Jack was still awake.

"I feel horrible," he said weakly when he saw her. She tried to give him a smile, "I know. Karen was right, as it turns out, about you not being ready to travel. We'll take care of you, though." She laid her hand on his face in reassurance.

Jack gave her a grin and said, "I know," He seemed confident, but he was also covered in a thin sheen of sweat and was laying there trembling. Trying to steel herself against her own memories of helplessness, she got some ice and wrapped it in a towel, handing it to Stefano while she got Jack to take the aspirin and heated some tea for him. When he finally managed to fall into a fitful sleep, she turned to Stefano and said, "Antibiotics. We have to get some, and quick."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone reviewing this for me. It means a great deal and is very helpful. Thanks to LadyDeb for reading this whole story through for consistency; I am finding that the hardest battle here. Folks seem unsure of Stefano at this point. Hmm. I wonder why… Have a great weekend, everyone! **

Stefano Colosanto had not bargained for this. In the last ten years of his life he had studied to be a businessman and served as a part of a cohort of protectors of Captain Jack Harkness. The ten years before that had been spent as a young adult, doing most of the physical training, as well as language training and the task of simply graduating from high school in a high enough position to gain entry at an Ivy League school. Sitting in a hotel room holding an ice pack to Captain Harkness' forehead and commiserating with an inexperienced CIA office analyst on how best to procure antibiotics without drawing attention was _not_ something he had trained for in a practical sense. He had confidence in himself, though, that was for sure. If anything had been driven into his heart over the last twenty years of his life it was that he could handle it. He could handle anything that was thrown his way, at least that's what his father, grandfather, and his great-grandfather had all told him. They had chosen him for his level head and the way all of the physical training was backed by calm rationality. He looked at Captain Harkness lying in the tattered old hotel room bed, looking sallow and sick, and thought for sure he could handle antibiotics, even now. He was calm and rational and this would work out.

Esther wasn't so sure. "I'm not sure we can rely on Vera's name helping us again, but it's worth a try," she said once Jack was asleep. She looked at him as she spoke and cringed inwardly. He looked very sick and she knew she had better act quickly. It was close to ten o'clock at night, and the town they stopped in was small. Small enough that finding medical help was going to be hard. She had an area map spread out on the small, wooden table in the hotel room. She looked closely and swore. "The closest hospital is twenty some miles away."

Esther looked at Stefano, who had left the cloth on Jack's forehead and was now sifting through his duffel bag obviously looking for something. She watched as he pulled out a folder with a sheaf of paper inside and rustled through until he found what he was looking for. It was a small set of identification cards, and he sat down in the chair near the bed and shuffled through them. "Are those fake ids?" Esther asked incredulously. Stefano just nodded and continued shuffling. There must have been at least twenty cards. He finally found what he was looking for and he looked up with a small smile and handed it to Esther.

"Stanton Lyndenhoff? With PhiCorp? Are you insane?" She looked at him wide-eyed.

"Know thine enemy, right?" He replied. "Remember, I studied business in school? Pharmaceutical industry was my specialty, as it turns out. I'll go in as a rep and find someone I can talk to. Maybe even do a small sleight of hand on them."

[_"Stefano! It's me! Listen, I have great news. I got hired as an account director for a huge pharmaceutical company. Yeah. Right out of my internship. They liked what I did for the company and said they were confident in their decision. I rock, don't I?" Stefano laughed into the phone. Brian was just as confident as he was, and a hell of a businessman already, even though they were only two years out of school. Stefano was happy for his best friend. "That's great news, Bri. What company is it?" There was a pause on the line. You're not going to believe this, Stef. It's with PhiCorp."]_

"Stefano, it's the middle of the night. Won't they find it weird?" She was trying to find all the flaws, and this one seemed glaring.

"It's okay. Actually reps go in different shifts so they can catch different crews. It won't seem too unusual. Plus, I'm PhiCorp. They have a bit of leeway in the weird category right now, I think." He pulled a jacket on and asked, "Are you okay here until I get back?" He glanced over at Jack. She nodded. "Don't open the door for anyone, right?" He asked.

"Right. Not even you." She grinned.

"Hopefully I won't _lose_ my key." He retorted, and he ducked out the door into the night.

When Stefano arrived at the hospital thirty minutes later, it was, as to be expected in this strange time, very quiet. He walked quickly up to the attendant at the desk, leaned over casually, and asked if he could speak to Dr. Vera Juarez. He saw the attendant pause and think, but then he told Stefano that there wasn't anyone by that name working at their hospital at the moment and would he like to speak to someone else? Stefano gave him an easy smile, told him that he was happy to talk to anyone and that he was actually a rep from PhiCorp doing some research. Stefano explained to the attendant that he needed some survey information for the company and he was required to cover all shifts of the hospital for accuracy. He asked politely if he could speak to the emergency room lead doctor when they had a moment and was directed to chair to wait. He found a local newspaper to read and sat down to wait. He found that the hospital was in a small town called Creston, Iowa, and that things had apparently been quiet despite the chaos of the Miracle. The paper read to Stefano like any small town paper would even a year ago, local sports featuring proud teenagers, arrest reports filled with disorderly conduct charges, and business news about the recession caused by the Miracle and its effects on the town was the only story related to the Miracle at all. He finished reading the paper, thought about what he knew about Iowa, and decided he should be traveling out from Des Moines. Just as he'd settled on that, a young doctor, a man about six feet tall with reddish brown hair neatly cut and glasses with stylish frames, approached him and sat down next to him.

"You pulled a crap shift from the big company, huh?" he said with sympathy.

Stefano nodded and smiled, holding out his hand, "It's for a good cause, of course. Plus I'm the new guy," he joked, and the young doctor smiled. "I'm Stanton Lyndenhoff, and I'm conducting a survey and some background research for PhiCorp." Stefano pulled out a complicated looking cell phone, not one of the cheap disposable ones he'd been forcing Jack to use, and pulled up an app. "I've got a recorder on here, if it's okay with you? I just need you to answer a few questions. Six, actually."

The doctor shook his head, "Listen, I don't mean to be a pain for you after you drove out here in the middle of the night, but our director doesn't let us speak on the record about anything to anyone unless it's been cleared through our PR department." He paused, "I say 'our PR department', but it's actually a separate company that handles four or five small area hospitals. Anyway, I can't let you record me or use my answers for anything official. I'm a little bored at the moment, though, so if you want me to buy you a cup of coffee in the cafeteria, I'd be happy to." The doctor seemed friendly enough, and Stefano didn't panic. He just took the doctor up on his offer and followed him to the cafeteria. On the way, he asked him a few questions about demographics of injuries, common medications still being prescribed, and sense of trust from the community about the hospital. As they sat down with their coffee, he thought he'd try his fishing expedition.

"What about antibiotics? Do you all still prescribe them?" He asked.

The doctor looked at him curiously. "Well, some. We're finding that some bacterial infections are just not happening at the rate they used to happen. Plus, when someone gets injured, they don't heal anymore, which means that infections don't really happen either due to the static nature of the wound."

Stefano took a chance. "Okay, but could I ask you for a huge favor since I did come all the way out here and am going home empty handed? Could you maybe give me a few weeks worth of antibiotics for a good friend of mine? He's not being reasonable about his injury at all. He just poked his arm with a knife on accident, and we could probably get him stitched up no problem before the Miracle, but he's panicking and freaking out and is convinced that he's going to get sent to a camp, even though it's just a flesh wound. He asked if I could scare up some antibiotics just to ease his mind about it. Do you think you could help?"

The doctor paused for a good length of time before answering. "I think you should probably leave," he said quietly, looking around the room.

It took Stefano a second to register what the doctor had said. "What?"

He repeated himself, "I think you should probably leave. You've been here half an hour? You need to get out. Start a fight with me, and then leave."

Stefano hesitated, but figured that this guy had no reason to mess with him. He stood up and pulled the doctor out of his chair, shoving him to the ground. The doctor jumped up and hit Stefano across the chin, hard enough to hurt, but Stefano could tell he was holding back a little. He grabbed his shirt and shoved him against the wall and said through his teeth, "I need those antibiotics."

The doctor struggled against Stefano and saw hospital security guards headed their way. "Hit me hard and then meet me at the park three blocks north of here in an hour." Stefano wasted no time and hit the doctor in the face and then scrambled away, dodging the security guards and ducking down a back hallway. They chased him, but he was faster and he weaved in and out to the exit, running into the night as fast as he could.

When he was convinced that he had lost the security guard from the hospital, he made his way three blocks north and found the park the doctor referred to. He took the time to walk the perimeter of the park, looking for anything that looked like a set-up, but this late at night it was deserted. It was small, just a playground and picnic area with a copse of trees surrounding the picnic tables. Stefano stayed out of sight and finally saw the young doctor approach one of the tables. Stefano stayed out of sight and waited, trying to discern whether this was a trap. After doing a quick sweep of the park again, he approached the doctor at the table.

"Took you long enough," he told Stefano.

"Just playing it safe," he replied. "Antibiotics?" he asked.

"Here. I've also left a set of instructions. Was it really a knife wound?" the doctor asked.

Stefano was silent. He wasn't going to give any information that someone could use. The doctor nodded as he understood Stefano's silence. "Okay. Listen, regardless, you have to be consistent in the administering of these. Miss a dose and it throws everything off."

"Okay," Stefano replied. Then he asked, "Why did I have to leave? Why the big production?"

The doctor sighed. "Look, that desk clerk you talked to? He has instructions to make a phone call if anyone asks for Dr. Juarez. That network is about shut down, I imagine. Then, when you said you were from PhiCorp? Well, we all have instructions to call an administrator if anyone makes that claim. You shot yourself on two counts. You're not with PhiCorp because they don't send anyone anymore. They don't have to." With that, the doctor handed Stefano a business card. It had his name, Corey Fletcher, and an email address and two phone numbers. "If you ever need help, but don't have a way to get anywhere, call. The network is getting shut down, but we're still trying to keep some lines open." He reached over and shook Stefano's hand, and then walked away.

Stefano watched him go, and then made his way back to his car. He took a very roundabout way back to the hotel to make sure he wasn't being followed, and it had been over three hours since he left Esther. He knew she would be angry when he told her they needed to leave again, but there was no way they could take the chance that his stunt at the hospital went unnoticed. He just hoped Jack could make the move.

Jack slept. Esther looked at the clock when Stefano left the room and it was about ten-thirty, and now it was after one in the morning and Jack was still sleeping. He was sweating, though, and Esther was anxious. [_"Ms. Drummond, you have to understand that if you don't want your sister sent to a foster home, then you have to sign this and agree that she's your responsibility. You will be responsible for making sure she attends school, you will be responsible if she needs medical attention, and you will be legally listed as her guardian until she is eighteen. Do you understand?" Sarah Drummond looked at her little sister, who was staring intently into her eyes from across the room and nodding slightly. It was obviously what Esther wanted, and Sarah didn't really think it would be a big deal. Esther never got sick, and Esther loved school anyway. How hard would it be to make her go? Besides, if she signed this then she was in charge, and that sounded good. So she leaned over and signed the paper, and suddenly Esther and Sarah were on their own. It was only a week after their father's meager funeral, where no extended family came and no one but a distant cousin called. That was okay with Esther, though, and now that she got Sarah to sign the paper, that meant she wouldn't get stuck with an unwilling family member who lived far away and she wouldn't get stuck with some strange family only agreeing to take her in for the money. That's what she heard at school about foster homes, anyway, and she wanted no part of it. She was almost thirteen and she could handle this. Besides, Sarah had a pretty good job at the nearby grocery store, so they should be okay. She had been anxious since her father died, though, and now getting this legal stuff out of the way made her feel a little better. Mornings without her father and the newspaper were still hard, though, and that night she dreamed of her father lying in bed sweating with his fever, but this time he was ranting that Sarah was crazy and couldn't take care of a cat.] _Esther shook herself out of the memory, and she went to the bathroom to rewet the cloth she'd kept on Jack's face. She found that he seemed to settle when it was cold.

Jack could feel it when Esther changed the cloth out for a cold one, and he could feel the fever creeping up on him. The soft touch of Esther's hand on his forehead and the cool of the cloth felt good, though, even pleasant. [_He was thirteen, and it was only a few months after he lost Grey and his father died. He was sick, and the transport to the main city where the medical facilities were located was hours away from arriving. His mother, a researcher at the science center for the colony, had stayed home from work that day to take care of him. They didn't talk much anymore, as he focused on his friends at school and staying under her radar and she worked extra hours to take her mind off of everything. He was a good student and was good at staying out of noticeable trouble. He was sick now, though, and it was a doozy. He had come down with it two days ago, and after his mother tried to let it run its course, he was still feverish and vomiting anything he tried to put in his system. She decided it was time to let a doctor have a look, something they didn't need to do very often. She came into his room, the one he used to share with Grey, and sat on his bed next to him. His cheeks were flushed and he was sweating, and he had a hard time not shivering. She laid a cool cloth on his forehead and stroked the side of his face, telling him it wouldn't be long, that they'd get to the doctor and he'd probably be better in hours, medicine being what it was in that age. That didn't help now, though, and he felt horrible. His mother sat with him, though, until the transport arrived, keeping the cloth cool and stroking his face, telling him about her work and about how proud she was of him at school and how she was sorry she couldn't be with him more now, but that it just hurt so much, but she'd try to do better. After they got home the next day and he went back to school a few days later, her long hours recommenced and he spent his evenings after school studying and playing games with his friends.]_ Jack fell back asleep, and a few minutes later Stefano unlocked the door and came in with the drugs, and they woke Jack and gave him his first dose.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So here's another chapter and another glimpse at a time of Jack's life that doesn't get much play. So I want to, real quickly, say a huge thank-you to Honeybee1111 for the consistent reviews of my story here. Also, I was giddy when I found a review from McParrot in my inbox today. Thanks! I hope you're all still enjoying the ride. . . . **

It didn't seem to help. Of course it wouldn't right away, but for some reason Esther had hoped for something unreasonable in this unreasonable time. Jack's fever had risen and when Stefano had finally arrived with the antibiotics they had a hard time waking him enough to swallow the pill. He was woozy and kept mumbling about this being the 'wrong kind of medicine' and how he 'just needed a shot and then he could go back to school.' Stefano and Esther just looked at each other and shrugged, and Esther bargained with him that it was the right medicine for now and she'd see if they could find the other kind later. He finally swallowed the pill and then went back to his fitful sleep.

"We have to leave again," Stefano said after they'd administered Jack's medicine.

_["We have to leave, Esther. We can't stay here," Sarah told her solemnly one afternoon after school. It was only about two months after their father had died, and Esther had finally settled into a routine of school, homework, noodles, reading, and bed. The routine had gotten her through the two months without too many tears because she wore herself out with her schoolwork and reading. She knew they didn't have any money, which is why she spent her time at home. She did have a few friends at school and managed to arrange a few afternoons over at their house each week, but she usually just focused on her work. This was a wrench she wasn't expecting. "Why?" She asked Sarah. This was her home. The house she grew up in and the house that was filled with memories of her parents. Her mother had told her that she was so proud of the house because no one ever thought she and her father would be able to afford a house at all. Now Sarah was telling her that they didn't have enough money to stay, and they had to move. She asked where they would move to, and Sarah said she found a 'decent' place in a nearby apartment complex. They packed up what they found valuable, which was a challenge at thirteen – do you keep a work shirt he wore daily or do you throw it away? Do you keep the ornament you made her in school or do you throw it away? Sarah finally barged in on Esther's deliberations and told her they didn't have room for junk. "Take what's in your room that you need, but otherwise we don't have the space." As it turned out the 'decent' apartment she had found was a one bedroom place with no storage space; Esther swore at Sarah as she threw away her parents' past and cried herself to sleep the first three nights at the new apartment.]_

After Esther's sharp "What?" Stefano explained what happened at the hospital. "Just a few hours, Esther. We'll drive just a few hours, a state away, just in case. He's not sleeping well anyway. We'll get a state away and find a good place and stay for a couple of days so he can get over this." She stared at Stefano angrily but knew he was probably right. They packed up their things quickly and he pulled the car up close to their room door.

"Jack, wake up again, sweetheart. We have to leave." Esther said gently. She didn't want to startle him, and when he groggily opened his eyes and couldn't focus on her, she just pulled him up, had Stefano help draw a jumper over his head and pull on his greatcoat, and they carried him bodily to the car and piled him in. He was mumbling about not needing to sleep, and Esther and Stefano both chuckled a little when they heard him say, "I'm not too tired for a good shag, come on," to someone they obviously weren't. They both climbed in the car around him and they took off down the road, heading east toward Illinois.

Kewanee, Illinois was what the sign said from the highway after Stefano turned north from Galesberg after crossing the Iowa/Illinois border. The drive had taken about four hours, and now it was almost six in the morning. Stefano booked them a room in a very small hotel off of Highway 34, and it was with great effort that he dragged Jack, who was barely awake, into the old, run-down room and laid him down on the bed. Esther changed the dressing on Jack's wound again, and she thought that it was looking exactly the same, oozing a discolored fluid and red around the edges. He gave a cry when she cleaned it off, waking fully for the first time since the fever had climbed.

"Jack, you need to drink this," She said, holding out a large bottle of water.

He looked at her dully and said, "I need. . ." as he looked around the room furtively. "I need. . .." It was as if he were looking for someone. He couldn't finish his sentence, though, and he closed his eyes, trying to slow his breathing to a regular pace. His side hurt like son-of-a-bitch, and he just wanted sleep without the crazy dreams he'd been having, but the visions from the dreams taunted him as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He looked at the bottle of water suspiciously and then at Esther. His breath was still labored, and he said weakly, "Retcon? Are you trying to Retcon me? 'cause I won't drink it. You can't do this."

She leaned over him and looked at him with sympathy. "Jack, I wouldn't do that. I can't do that. You don't need Retcon anyway, Jack, you just need to drink some water."

"Damn right I don't need it," he said, his words slurring together in his exhaustion. "Can't take him away from me that easily, you know. You just can't." He finally lost the struggle with his eyelids and sleep overtook him.

Esther looked at Stefano and he shrugged. "I need to sleep," he said quietly. "You should, too."

Esther agreed, and Stefano told her she could have the second bed, and he pulled some pillows and blankets onto the floor for himself. Esther set her alarm for just before noon, when Jack would need his next dose of antibiotics, and then crashed into sleep on the bed. When she woke up it was to the sound of muttering from Jack, and the shower in the bathroom. It was almost eleven and she had slept for about four hours and she felt more exhausted now than when they'd arrived this morning. She knew she needed more sleep. She climbed out of the bed, though, confirming that Stefano was in the shower, and then going over to check on Jack. She could only catch snippets of what he was saying.

". . . for you. . . love all of 'em but . . . back for you. Dammit!" and Esther cringed as he shouted this, "would've . . . best if I hadn't! . . . stop. Don't be mad. . . Come . . . please come back," he paused and hauled in a deep breath, "Don't. . . alone."

Esther ran more cold water over the washcloth in the vanity area and took it back to Jack, placing it on his forehead. He was sweating profusely and trembling but now his mumblings were incomprehensible. As the cool cloth rested on his forehead he settled down again, and she got another cloth and used to actually wash off his face and arms, trying to cool those as well. Jack was aware of the cool cloth, but felt trapped in a loop of memory, unable to wake and get back to Esther, even though he knew she must be worried about him.

[_"I'm worried that this isn't the right choice for you!" His mother raised her voice after he pressed her on why she wasn't happy about the news he'd just shared. "This Time Agency? I hear awful things about it. And you're so young! At seventeen you should be continuing your schooling. Your test scores," and then he interrupted her._

"_Are high enough that I'll be the youngest recruit the Agency has ever had! I hate school, mom! Here I'll get to affect everything! Everything! They said they'll train me to monitor history! Can you imagine? I'll get to monitor history and if anyone's mucking around where they shouldn't be, I'll work to remove them and their influence!" he paused to take a breath. "Dad would have loved this. He was a historian! He would have been happy for me. I'm the youngest recruit ever and the first from our province!" _

_His mother's face was controlled, perhaps even stoic. "When they spoke to me about your contract. . . I just worry. Something's not right about them."_

_He stepped closer to her with a look so full of anger that she stepped back, away from her tall son with fire in his ice-blue eyes. "You worry? About me? You don't even know what I'm interested in, much less what I would want for a career." His voice dropped low, "We live in the same house, you provide me food and shelter and I'm grateful for that. But you haven't worried about me since Dad died and Grey vanished. So I imagine that once I'm actually gone you'll be fine. Please. Just sign the contract so I can be on my own and then we'll both be better off."_

_Tears filled his mother's eyes, but she wordlessly leaned over and signed the screen. He leaned over and clicked to send it and then turned away from her and walked back to his room to pack, and his mother went to her room and silently shut her door.]_

Esther watched Jack and knew he was having more nightmares, fever – dreams that she couldn't do anything about, and she felt helpless. She hated feeling helpless. Stefano came out from the shower and she said she was going to take a turn, and she did. She needed to clear her head. They needed to sit down this afternoon and work on the steps after Jack got well and she needed a clear head for that. He would get well, she could feel it. She scrubbed herself clean and stood under the hot water for a while, thinking of the Families and Jack's blood and the CIA and Torchwood, all the points that weren't connected yet. She emerged from the shower feeling much better, and it was time to give Jack his medicine. So she sat down this time with a glass of ice water, knowing that he was in danger of getting dehydrated from the fever and resolving to wake him as completely as she could to drink it all. She brushed his hair from his eyes and gently called his name, holding his hand and leaned over him. He opened his eyes and they were still bright with fever and having trouble focusing. "Jack? Come on, Jack, you've got to wake up and take some medicine. Just some water and a pill and then you can sleep again," She said gently.

Water and a pill. That was a bad combination where Torchwood was involved, and Jack knew it. He thought that Esther was trustworthy, though, and he reached for the pill, but then he lost focus again. Focus was so hard right now, why? Focus on the pill and the water. No! No one willingly takes Retcon unless something really bad is going on. "What's going on?" He asked hoarsely and Esther mistook his question's intent.

"You're sick, Jack. It's an antibiotic. The bullet wound is infected and making you sick. Come on, take the pill." She tried to explain it as simply as she could.

Sick? He didn't get sick. This was a trick, and his captors were careless. He shook his head vehemently and said, "No. I don't need it. I don't get sick."

Esther sighed, "Jack, you do now. Remember, the Miracle? You can get sick and you can die, so please take the pill."

He laughed, "Miracle? That sounds like a curse. I can't die. I haven't died for more than two thousand years. Well, I've died a lot, but I didn't stay that way. You're trying to trick me."

His voice was shaky and he spoke quickly, manically, and Esther couldn't believe the words he said. Two thousand years? Insanity. It must be the fever, she thought. "Jack, I won't trick you, please." She was starting to worry now.

He refused again and at this point Stefano stepped into his field of vision and leaned over. "Jack," he said, "Just take this one pill. You'll feel better later and it will make sense." When Jack saw Stefano and heard his voice it seemed he got even paler than he was before, and he panicked. They were going to force him. They were going to force him and something bad was going to happen again and again and again and he was so tired of people who couldn't leave him alone. He shook his head, but he didn't have any energy.

Esther tried one last thing. "Jack, will you talk to Gwen? She wouldn't lie to you or trick you, would she?" She looked at Jack's phone and dialed the other one as she spoke, hoping this worked. He looked at her confused, and Gwen answered anxiously, having been waiting on Jack's call as promised yesterday.

"Gwen, it's me, Esther. Can you listen to me for a minute?" She knew Gwen was going to be confused, but they had to get Jack to take the pill. "I'll explain everything soon, but I need you to do something for me."

"What? Where's Jack? Esther, what's wrong?" Gwen had a sinking feeling.

"Gwen, please talk to Jack on the phone and tell him we won't trick him. Please tell him to take his pill so he can get better and that we promise we won't hurt him. He won't trust me right now and he's sick." She sounded panicked.

Gwen started to panic, too, and said, "Esther, is it the bullet wound? Tell me now, quickly. I don't want to talk to him unless I know what's going on!"

Esther spoke quickly, "It's infected. The wound. Stefano was able to get antibiotics last night from a hospital and he took them then, but now his fever's so high that he's delusional and thinks we're trying to give him Retcon."

Gwen sighed. They just couldn't catch a break right now, and her own news just weighed this whole situation down even more. "Put him on, Esther. Let me talk to him."

Esther handed Jack the phone, but he had to lie back down to hold it since he was so exhausted. "Jack," She said, "Please, take the pill Esther and Stefano have for you. They aren't giving you Retcon." Jack listened and shook his head, "Gwen, I don't get sick!"

"Jack Harkness, you're sick right now and they want to help you get better. You know I love you and wouldn't tell you to do anything that would hurt you, so you take it. Now. Then call me when you can think straight. Now let me talk to Esther while you take the antibiotic. For God's sake, Jack, ask to see the bullet wound! You'll see the infection and know we're all right if you don't believe me."

He looked up at Esther and did just that, and finally he took the pill, drank the water, lay down on the pillows, and tried to steady his breathing again.

Esther finished talking to Gwen. "It's going to be okay, Gwen. He's so feverish right now, though, I know none of this is registering properly with him."

Gwen sighed. "What I found out is not going to register properly with him either, I'll wager. But it can't wait. Esther, Stefano's got connections to PhiCorp."

Esther thought she had heard wrong. "What? PhiCorp? He posed as a PhiCorp rep last night at the hospital to get the antibiotics. He had a fake ID. "

"Yeah? Are we sure it was fake? Look, I can't find anything saying he worked for them, but his best mate did, and up until very recently he was in charge of the accounts dealing with the painkillers they've been launching since the Miracle. He and Stefano were best mates in college, and Stefano was even in the guy's wedding. Do not trust him." She said harshly.

"Gwen he's right here. He's been helping! He's gotten the antibiotics and he's helped us."

"Ask him about Brian Schmidt. That's his mate. See what he says. But be careful, and call me when Jack is through the fever or if he gets worse." She and Esther hung up, and Esther looked across the room at Stefano suspiciously. She wasn't afraid of him for some reason, even when he spoke.

"What was that about PhiCorp and me? What's Gwen found?" He thought he might know, and the timing of this was horrible, but he knew they'd find out sooner or later.

"Brian Schmidt? She said to ask you about him."

The young Italian stood up slowly and walked over to stand over Jack and near where Esther was sitting. "Brian was my best friend. We met at Princeton and studied together when I was around. He was real easy-going and even though I left a lot he stuck with me. I was in his wedding and he got hired by PhiCorp right out of school. We aren't in touch anymore, though. It doesn't affect anything, Esther, I promise."

"PhiCorp is one of the connections, Stefano! Of course it matters! He was account director on the product that is currently making PhiCorp the biggest company in the world. It matters!"

"We fought, okay? We fought a year ago because my family figured out that PhiCorp was a part of all of this and I told him it was rotten. He didn't agree with me," Stefano said with a bit of hysteria in his voice. "He said it was not rotten, and he said they were going to change the world for the better. If I wanted to be part of it I could, but I said no. I said no, Esther. I knew better, and my father and grandfather knew better. We know PhiCorp is involved somehow, but we don't have enough to go on. They told me to try and keep my ties to Brian so we could have an inside voice, but . . . Brian wouldn't see any kind of reason. He took my refusal to join him as a refusal of our friendship, even though I had just stood up for him in his wedding," and at this Stefano's voice broke and he turned away. He dropped his head. "I have nothing to do with PhiCorp except that for a while I had a friend who worked there. Now that friendship doesn't exist either, but I'm not working with them, I promise."

["_Brian offered to help get me a job at PhiCorp," He said to his father and grandfather as they sat around the kitchen table with their coffee. They both raised their eyebrows in the same gesture, which would have been funny had their faces not been so grave. "PhiCorp is rotten, Stefano. You know that," His father replied. "Surely Brian can see that as well." Stefano shrugged, "Brian's caught in a bit of a shiny trap, I think. Everything glitters over there and is quite tempting." His grandfather shook his head. "No, Stefano." A thin smile played across Stefano's face, "I know, Grandfather. I never said I wanted it. I just said he offered. I already told him all of this. He said I'm crazy," he paused. "I think he's going to write off our friendship over it," he said slowly, and his voice betrayed his emotion. "I'm sorry, son," His father reached his hand across the table and laid it on Stefano's hand. Stefano looked his father in the eye, "Now the outside ties are all gone. Just like I knew they would be." And Stefano stood up and left the room.]_

Esther heard the pain in his voice, but she still wasn't sure of him. She decided that time to process this information was what she needed, and she said nothing to him, sitting down on the extra bed and laying back. Rest. He hadn't stabbed her in her sleep or anything close to that, so she would rest and then she and Jack would deal with this together, later, when Jack was better.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Got sidetracked by one-shots earlier this week, but here's the latest. And I know that infections might take longer to begin to clear, but, quite frankly, I need Jack to get back on his feet, and it's fiction. Maybe his body still works differently than ours. Thanks to everyone still sticking with me. We're about to hit a high point, in my opinion. (Oh, and nothing's wrong with living in Canada. Seriously, veritas6, nothing at ALL.) **

Hours passed and early evening crept in. Esther slept some more after the phone call with Gwen, knowing that things could change any second, and taking advantage of the moments she was spared. She slept well, dream-free, which she appreciated immensely. Stefano left the hotel room for a while, but didn't go anywhere. He just sat outside the room on the hard, concrete sidewalk with his back to the hotel wall with his head on his knees. He went inside later, checked on the Captain and Esther, and took another shower. It was something to do and it felt good, which was about all he could ask for right now. Jack slept. He still slept fitfully, but he did sleep. When Stefano emerged from the shower, Esther was waking up. Without a word she got up and checked the Captain's dressing and changed it out, and they were both grateful that he didn't even wake up as she did so. When she was finished, Stefano offered to go find some dinner for them, and she acknowledged that she was hungry, directing him to get some sort of juice to offer Jack later, as well as some sort of soup if he could. He nodded and left quietly, and Esther sat down in the tattered chair by the window to think. After about forty minutes, Stefano came back with takeout, juice, some granola bars, bottled water, fruit, and soup. He grinned at Esther and laid one of the blankets, folded into a smaller square, on the floor like a picnic blanket and then set the takeout down on top. He sat cross-legged on an edge of the blanket and gestured for her to find a spot on the blanket, too.

"An impromptu, completely no-scenery picnic?" She asked lightly.

"It's the best we can do with what we have, right?" He replied. She nodded and they dug into their dinner.

Esther sighed, "I can't remember the last time I had home-cooked food. I wonder what it tastes like."

"If it were my house growing up it would be homemade raviolis, homemade sauce from my great-great grandmother's recipe, bread, and canned peaches."

Esther sputtered into her drink. "Canned peaches? It all sounded so exquisite until that one."

Stefano smiled. "Well, to be fair they would be hand-canned peaches. My great-grandmother apparently thought they were an American staple and liked the whimsy of adding them to our Italian menu every chance she got. My great-grandfather liked them, too, so it stuck. Now it just sounds funny."

"Did your family go back to Italy very often?" Esther asked curiously.

Stefano nodded. "Yes. Whenever a child was born the whole family would go back for a few months when the child turned one, and the family of the child would stay for at least a year. And the child wouldn't hear English until they were probably three or four. That's one reason why I have a little bit of an accent sometimes, that and the fact that school and with friends was really the only time I heard English. We spent most summer vacations there as well. It's a beautiful place. "

[_"Stefano! You be back for dinner, young man!" His mother called to him in Italian as he ran out the door of the house in only his shorts. It was early afternoon and he would stay out the whole time until dinner, running into the village square with his cousins and friends, playing hide-and-seek at his uncle's house, the house with the most rooms and the biggest backyard full of trees and garden furniture to hide behind . Then they would go swimming before dinner, and they might even swim through dinner and willingly face the wrath of their mothers in order to stay in the sea a bit longer._]

Esther could hear the nostalgia in his voice. "Have you been back any time recently?"

"No. It's been," he paused, thinking, "eight years now." He sighed and shook his head, "I miss it. It feels like it would be paradise right now," he said with a small smile.

"Most places would, I imagine," Esther replied. Stefano looked at her thoughtfully.

"What's the place you'd go back to now, if you could?" He asked.

She thought for a minute. "My parents' house in DC. The kitchen table with my dad, I think. I'd be interested to hear what he would have thought about all of this Miracle Day stuff."

"Did he know of your career?" Stefano asked, picking up on the past tense she used.

"No, he and my mother died when I was twelve. He probably would have been just as disgusted and angry as I am, though. He didn't like government much to begin with."

"And yet you went to work for the government," Stefano added.

"I said he didn't like it. Besides, I only work for the government after a fashion." She shook her head, "That is, if I still have a job when all of this is played out."

"Well, hopefully we're going to stop all of this, and that ought to figure in a bit when they mete out your punishment for harboring the Captain."

"Right," she raised her eyebrows and cocked her head at him, "And how are we going to stop all of this again? Seems to me we're not very far on a plan."

"True enough," he responded. "Do you like the idea of living in Canada?"

She laughed. "Hopefully it won't go that far. We should worry about figuring it out so I don't have to go to Canada." She finished her dinner and stood up. She went to the table and picked up a pad of notebook paper and a pen and then sat back down on the blanket. She wrote, in big letters, Jack Harkness, Families, PhiCorp, Miracle, Torchwood, and Colosanto around the edge of the paper. "Now, help me fill in any connections these things have to each other." And they went to work, such as it was.

They found the easy connections first, and everything was connected to something, even though Stefano cringed a bit when the only connection to PhiCorp that could be drawn was him to Brian Schmidt. Then he dug in his bag for the folder that had contained the fake ids. He pulled out some other papers and sat back down, sharing some specific names of PhiCorp execs and Family members. After a while, they did see that Torchwood was connected to everything except for PhiCorp, which could be remedied if they assumed that the Families were somehow connected to Phi Corp. Then, Esther took the paper and wrote one more thing: the Blessing, and she put it in the center of the page. They couldn't draw a connecting line to anything except the Families and Jack.

[_Patterns. She remembered the first time she'd been frustrated by the lack of patterns at the CIA. Martin, her research partner and new friend, was frustrated by the case they were working, and cussing a blue streak about not having the resources they needed to find the patterns of the case. Esther was frustrated, too, and they worked for hours and hours looking for the connection, the paper trail. They couldn't find it. She had to report after two days work that should have only taken one that she and Martin couldn't figure it out. Frieken was livid. He passed the case along to the next tier of researchers and slammed Esther and Martin with junk cases for the next month. The other team of researchers couldn't figure it out either, but that didn't diffuse Freiken's anger. Esther hated when the patterns didn't emerge.]_

As they sat there puzzling over the web of information on the page, Jack woke up. He was twisting the sheets, not saying anything, and when Esther realized he was awake, she went to his side. He looked at her, eyes still bright with fever.

"I feel awful," he said, voice weighted with exhaustion.

Esther was grateful he was looking right at her, though, and his comment suggested lucidity, which was a definite improvement. "I know, Jack. The antibiotics should be kicking in soon, though, and once your fever goes down you'll feel better." She gave him a slight grin, "Think you can drink some water without worrying about Retcon?"

He looked confused. "Did you give me Retcon?"

"No, but you were worried about it earlier. Seemed to think I might want to get you back for your dose when we first met."

"I don't think you'd do that," Jack replied, still sounding confused.

"I wouldn't, and that you know that means you are getting better, even if you're not feeling particularly well." She pushed him gently back on the bed so she could change his dressing, and she was glad it didn't seem to cause him anything other than a wince. When she was finished she noticed that Stefano had slipped out of the room again, but the car was still there, so he was around and just making himself scarce. She wondered why.

"I'm thirsty," Jack stated.

"Good. Here's some water and your antibiotic," she said as she handed him the bottle. "Would you be able to eat some soup? Stefano got you some when he went out, and you could use something other than water."

He nodded. "Where is he?"

"Just outside, I think. It's kinda stuffy in here and we just ate some dinner ourselves. He probably just wanted some air," She said as she put the soup in the little hotel microwave.

Jack considered food. His body was brick-like, and he knew food would help get some strength back, but it just didn't sound good. The only thing that sounded good was water and then more sleep. [_When they'd gotten rid of John Hart and avoided themselves successfully enough to come back to the Hub and resume operations of Torchwood, the team tried to settle back into some semblance of normalcy. Jack figured they'd silently agreed to wait for him to disclose anything about where he'd been beyond what he'd already said about finding his doctor, and their grudges against him lingered in varying degrees, but none too harsh. He could lead them well, and everyone seemed to want to get things closer to where they'd been before. One thing that startled him, though, upon his return, and that he just couldn't control, was his need for sleep. They would come back from a mission and Jack would shower as usual and advise them on whatever follow-up was needed, and then he'd sit down on the couch outside his office, thinking he'd just rest for a minute. Then he'd lean back and be asleep almost immediately. While he would usually fall asleep just leaning back, upright, invariably someone (probably Ianto or Tosh) would come along and lay him down the length of the couch and lay a blanket over top of him. He did this for weeks after his return, and at all hours of the day, whenever they finished anything that took physical energy. Jack was startled, but he knew it was an after-effect of a year without proper sleep, and it eventually went away.]_

Esther pulled the soup from the microwave and insisted that Jack try and drink some. It tasted better than he thought it would, and he drank the whole thing quickly. He grinned as he finished, "I guess I was hungry." He pulled at the blankets on the bed, "It's an oven in here," he complained. Esther went and opened a window and turned back to him. She decided to show him the sheet she and Stefano had made earlier, but he couldn't seem to make any sense of the connections, and he was startled by the line from Stefano to PhiCorp. "What's this?" he asked sharply.

"Stefano's best friend works as an exec on the project to increase production of painkillers that coincided with the Miracle." She paused as Jack looked toward the door with a frown. "He claims that his friend got angry when Stefano turned down a job offer with him and has cut off their friendship. Gwen's not convinced, though, and I admit that neither am I," Esther said thoughtfully.

Jack put his hand to his head, shaking it. "I can't think straight," and he leaned back down on the bed, letting Esther bring him a new wet cloth, and after a few minutes he went back to sleep. A little while later, Stefano came back in the room.

"Is he doing all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, he managed to drink some water and some soup, so that's good. He was really tired, though, and hot," she replied.

"Maybe his fever will break," Stefano suggested.

"Maybe," Esther sighed. She found herself going to lie down on the other bed again, and soon she fell asleep. She woke up a few hours later to the sound of Stefano running some water in the sink and she looked over at Jack. He was sweating and thrashing, but not delirious. Stefano looked at her as he walked over to Jack and said, "He's burning up. Can you do this? I'm going to go get some ice." She nodded and went over to Jack, putting the cloth on his forehead. She thought for a moment and realized that this high fever had been going on for twenty four hours now. Maybe it would break soon. She laid the cloth on his forehead and he opened his eyes and looked at her. "It's going to be all right, Jack. This is good. Your fever is close to breaking, I think." He nodded wordlessly and took deep, heavy breaths. Soon Stefano came back with ice and they wrapped the cloth around it and Esther ran the ice up and down Jack's arms and face. He seemed grateful for this, and it lasted at least an hour. He finally settled, and they sat back. The comfort didn't last, though, and an hour later he was shivering uncontrollably, this time so cold that they piled blankets from both beds on top of him, and Esther ran her hands over his, trying to warm him. He trembled in a cold sweat for another hour or so and finally, around five that morning, he stopped trembling and went to a much more peaceful sleep, neither shivering nor sweating. Esther and Stefano both audibly sighed in relief when he tumbled into normal sleep. Esther changed his dressing, pleased to see a noticeable lack of oozing. After the hours of helping Jack through his fever, she lay down and slept some more herself.

A few hours later, she woke, fixed some coffee and got a granola bar, handing one to Stefano, who had also wakened and was standing at the window.

"I'm wondering about this Miracle," She said after a moment. "Blood started it. Jack's blood, collected over the years. Is there anything else we know about it?"

"It made people immortal, after a fashion."

"After a fashion?"

"Well, even though it was Jack's blood that triggered it, it doesn't work like his immortality worked, right?" Stefano asked.

Esther thought about what she knew. "Jack's immortality seems. . . more real than ours."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, ours is a perverse sort of immorality, if you ask me. From what you said about Jack, if he got hurt before then he healed. We don't heal, we just linger. That's perverse." She ended with vehemence.

Stefano paused. "Perverse. That's a good way to describe it. Perverse. Pervert. To misapply. To put to the wrong use." He looked grimly at Esther. "They've taken Jack's blood and perverted it. Misapplied it."

Esther stood and began to pace. "Misapplied his blood. It wasn't meant for this use. You know, he keeps insisting that there's nothing linking his immortality to his blood. I wonder. . ." She was silent for a few minutes and then Stefano couldn't stand it anymore.

"What? What about his insistence?"

"What if," she said, "What if he's right? I mean, he should know about his own immortality. He's apparently been this way for a long time, and chances are he knows what caused it. What if it's not his blood being linked to his immortality! What if there's something _else_ about his blood that they needed? What if," She felt on a roll now, "What if it's just that _his_ blood is different than _ours_? What if the kind of immortality the "blessing" gave us is not even related to _his_ immortality? What if it's a coincidence that they work in a similar, but not exact way?"

Stefano just stared at her for a moment. "What could be different about his blood if it's not the immortality? He's human, I know that."

Esther didn't have an answer, but a minute later, Jack's voice came from the bed and said tiredly, "I'm human, but I'm not from around here." He paused as they came over to his side, "You may be on to something, Esther, besides being noisy," he said with a characteristic wink.

"What do you mean, Jack? Where are you from that could affect your blood?" Esther was pretty sure that human meant human as far as she knew.

He sighed, "It's not so much where I'm from that might make my blood different. It's when."

"You've traveled in time," Stefano stated matter-of-factly. Jack looked up quickly at him, and then nodded. Esther looked at Stefano like he had three heads. He smiled at her look and said, "Angelo's fortune. He made it because the Captain told him to save his cash. He said the Captain kept talking about hope, like things were going to get better for us in the future. Like he knew for sure." Light dawned on Stefano and he looked at Jack in awe, "Because you did know, didn't you? It's not just that you're immortal, you're from the future."

Esther looked at Jack in awe, "How far in the future?"

"Three thousand years."

Esther found her knees wobbling, so she sat herself down next to Jack. "Three thousand years? Three thousand years?"

They all sat in silence for a minute while this news sank in. Esther hit her forehead with her hand suddenly. "If you were born three thousand years in the future, and please don't bother telling me how you ended up here because I don't think I can handle it right now, but if you were born so far ahead, your blood would be different from ours! Immunities, differences, however minute. If we went back thousands of years into our past we'd be immune to some things, right? Our blood would be different!"

Jack grinned at Esther's enthusiasm and logic, "My blood is different. Subtly, but different, yes."

"So what if the Families took your blood because of those differences, not because of anything to do with your immortality!"

"Then maybe the answer does lie in my blood after all," Jack sighed. They looked at each other, pleased that a piece of the puzzle had slid into place, but all worried that it just created a new puzzle picture, not a more complete one.


	12. Chapter 12

"If the answer lies in your blood, Jack," Esther wondered aloud, "Should we be thinking of how to use it to reverse this thing?"

Jack sat up just onto his elbows in the bed, wincing just a bit as he did so, "Well, I'm not sure how using my blood again will help when we don't even know what it is. That should be our first order, to figure out what "the blessing" actually is."

Stefano turned back to the window, "The Families know. They've got to be the key."

[_"Who are they, Great Grandfather?" His great-grandfather closed his eyes as he lay in bed and shook his head in disappointment. "We don't know a lot, Stefano. We have names, but the names don't lead us anywhere but to empty files. We know companies – there's a chart your father can give you that he made; he's been doing the most research, but we can't figure out what the companies are up to. We have . . . not enough. They are trying to use the Captain for their ends. We know those ends involve his blood, which suggests something biological, a weapon, perhaps? Your father has traced one family member to a pharmaceutical company, PhiCorp." His great-grandfather paused and then said, "If it is biological and pharmaceutical, then it's about money. Which is why we've encouraged you to go into business eventually." Stefano nodded, "I like numbers. It'll be fine. I wish we knew more about these people, though." Stefano took a deep breath, "Numbers don't hurt anyone, but the people who manipulate the numbers certainly do."]_

Esther held up the paper they'd made earlier, "Well, from the looks of this web it looks like everything is the key. It's all connected somehow." She was excited about their epiphany and amazed just looking at Jack, lying in a cheap hotel bed with thin sheets and an old quilt, looking vulnerable. How could someone born three thousand years in the future be vulnerable? How could someone born three thousand years in the future be lying in a bed fighting an infection, weak enough that it looked like if you pushed in the right place he'd break to pieces? She realized he still looked awful. His hair was tangled and skewed in all directions, his skin was still incredibly pale, he had dark circles under his eyes, and his eyes just looked tired, worn down, and bleary. "Jack, you need to go back to sleep."

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm so tired of sleeping. I'd like to get cleaned up."

Esther understood, and so she got up and ran a warm, shallow bath for him in the very small tub in the bathroom, and then she helped support him as he walked shakily from the bed to the bathroom. He stripped off the t-shirt he'd been wearing and stood again, pulling off the shorts he'd been sleeping in. Esther took that as her cue to leave, chuckling at his lack of modesty in stripping. "I'll get you the clean clothes I bought the other day, okay?"

Before she could go, he smiled weakly at her, "Hey. Can you stay and help me in? I don't think I can do this by myself yet." She noticed his hand was shaking as he sat himself down on the edge of the small bathtub, and his pallor had increased. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. When he saw her hesitation, he grinned up at her with as much energy as he could muster, "Look, we'll save the immortal-man-from-the-future-super-hero sex for later, okay? I won't even think about it," he gave her a pathetic pleading look, "I just need a little help."

She laughed. "I'll hold you to it if you put it like that, Jack." And she did help him in. She steadied him with one hand under his arm and with her other hand in the small of his back. He closed his eyes and moaned with chaste pleasure when he was able to submerge himself in the water even just a little bit. She had been careful to make it shallow so that it didn't touch his wound, and he was careful not to get the bandage wet when he got in. She watched as he just sat in the water for a minute, and then she gently ran her fingers through his hair and said softly, "Lean your head back, okay?" He did, looking up at the ceiling, and she took a cup from the counter and scooped water over his head, running her fingers through his wet hair, pulling the tangles out. He closed his eyes and let the warm water wash over him. She took the cloth and gently scrubbed his back, without soap because of his wound, but it felt incredible to him just the same, and he lowered his chin to his chest as she did it and took deep, soulful breaths. Then she reached around and took his hand, running the washcloth over his arm, letting the warm water and clean cloth scrub away the sweat from the fever of the last few days. Finally, she got a clean cloth and wet it with the warm water, and with a soft smile, she leaned over and gently scrubbed Jack's face, pulling the cloth over it and letting the warmth of the cloth linger on his cheeks as she did so. When she let the cloth slip down into the clear water, he looked up at her and softly asked if she would wash his hair again.

She did, and when she was finished she stood, pulling a towel from the shelf above the sink. She wordlessly put her hand beneath his arm again to guide him as he pulled himself up to stand, and she wrapped the towel around him and supported him as he stepped out of the bathtub onto the floor. She left him standing with his eyes closed, head back, and taking deep, relaxed breaths, and she stepped out into the room and pulled a clean t-shirt and clean shorts from the duffel bag in the corner. She returned to him and toweled his arms and torso dry, moving gently down his legs. She pulled the t-shirt over his head and helped him into his shorts. Finally, she guided him back to the bed, and eased him down to the pillow, tucking the sheets and blankets around him. He mumbled a thank-you and was asleep again before he could get anything more coherent out.

Stefano smiled at her wordlessly and nodded, and then went back to reading through the newspaper he'd picked up earlier. Esther went back to the bathroom and let the water out of the tub, rinsed it out, and filled it again, deep and warm, for herself. She stripped down and climbed in, letting the almost-too-hot water seep over her and gently pull the tension from her skin.

[_"Relax, Esther. Just relax," he told her quietly as he sat her down in the wicker chair in the corner of his bathroom and ran water in the tub. She tried to relax, to calm down, but she couldn't. Sarah was so unreasonable, so often just plain crazy, and sometimes Esther just couldn't handle it. Today her sister had called, asking her to come and sit with the girls for a while after work, and Esther agreed. She arrived at the agreed to time, but Sarah was gone. The girls were sitting on the couch in the dark, crying. When Esther asked what happened, the older of the two explained that their mother had turned all of the lights off, made them sit on the couch, and told them that if they moved and turned the lights on then the bad people would come for them and take them away. They didn't want the bad people to come. They were deathly afraid of the bad people. "Where is your mother?" Esther had asked. The little one looked up through her tears and said, "She said she had to go away for a while. What if the bad people get her?" And both girls burst into tears again and Esther sat with them and held them and turned the lights on and then called her friend Martin because she couldn't get over how crazy and dangerous Sarah was being today. He came and sat with her until Sarah finally came home around midnight, and then he took Esther, who couldn't stop shaking after she stormed out of Sarah's house, back to his house and ran her a bath. She had never been to his house and they hadn't done anything much together beyond work, but he was always kind to her and tonight he helped her climb into the tub and he sat with her while she cried into the water and then finally relaxed enough for him to take her home and help her get to bed.]_

Three thousand years. That kept slipping to the surface of her mind and she let it come, examining it for a moment and then trying to push it back down beneath the water. It wouldn't stay. Three thousand years would explain a lot. Jack always seemed out of place to Esther, comfortable but out of place, as if he were completely at ease here, but here was not completely at ease with him. She recalled times throughout their journey with Rex and Gwen where he would say things and she wasn't sure whether they meant what they seemed like they meant, but now she knew that Jack didn't have to lie to put on an act. He could create a front out of truth, and no one would ever be the wiser. She liked knowing that about him now, and she wondered how it would make him feel to know that she could now see his front for what it was. She had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't change a thing.

Jack woke up later, and Esther changed his bandage, noticing that even the red tinge of infection seemed smaller now. "The infection seems to be clearing up," she noted with a smile. He nodded and watched as Stefano pulled himself up off the couch and came over to the bed.

"Captain, I have two questions for you, if you're up for it."

"Shoot."

"One, do you know how different your blood is from us? I mean, did anyone you know ever do tests or do you know from experience?" Stefano backed up and leaned against the window frame as Jack sat up a bit and Esther piled pillows behind him so that he could talk more easily.

Jack looked as though he were trying to decide how much information to divulge, and then replied, "No one did tests with my permission," and his eyes darkened as he continued, "I don't let anyone run tests on me if I can help it. But Owen Harper was a clever man," he said as his eyes brightened a bit.

"He was part of Torchwood Three, right?" Esther asked.

Jack nodded and smiled, "Yeah. He was one of my first two recruits after I took over. Clever and annoying," Jack went on with obvious affection. "He wanted to run tests once he found out about my . . . history, but I wouldn't let him. No need. He'd never need anything about me since I could bounce back from anything, and I just don't like to go there. Test on me, I mean. But like I said, he was clever," Jack paused and smiled, "It was policy to keep blood samples of all team members on hand – we ran into some weird stuff in our line of work - but that's all I'd give him, just enough for the on-hand sample. But they had to be updated every few months and I found out later that he'd take my sample just before it expired and do tests on it, and then tell me it was time for my updated sample. They didn't tell him much, and he never shared them with anyone but me. They just told him that I was human like I said, but had minor variances. Slightly altered DNA is one thing. Three thousand years changes things a bit – immune system differences like you suggested, Esther." He grinned broadly, "I can honestly say I've never had the 'common' cold, and I lived through a couple of epidemics back at the turn of the century without breaking a sweat. It's little stuff like that, is all. Owen discovered a couple of genetic differences, and when we talked about it we realized that some of it was probably alien influence. "

_["What have I told you, Owen! Stay away from running tests on me! Did you learn anything useful? I'm human, after all." He seethed at the medic, annoyed that once again Owen didn't pay any attention to his orders. Owen seemed unfazed. "You know, Jack, maybe there's something you didn't know. Like how your DNA suggests that one of your ancestors wasn't human?" Jack looked stunned. "What?" Owen grinned, "Well, don't your people shag whatever's compatible in the future? I mean, you certainly seem willing." Jack cracked a smile now. "Yeah," he sighed, "I did learn that the more limbs the better the sex." Owen rolled his eyes, "Oi. I did NOT need that image, thanks. Seriously, though, just a slight genetic difference. Was it common where you're from?" Jack chuckled a bit at Owen's curiosity, "More common than here. No, I'm not surprised to find that some of my ancestors might have families with more than two arms. Humans aren't as numerous in that time, that's for sure, and we're spread everywhere, so the choices were certainly greater." Owen laughed and then proceeded to quiz Jack on the best alien shags he'd had, stopping only when Jack got to the one about the alien with multiple appendages who ended up stalking Jack for a while. "Enough information for one day, I think, Captain. Oi." Jack laughed and went to find Ianto.]_

"Even though my parents were both human, aliens and humans started mixing it up about a thousand years before I was born, and I could very easily have one or two alien influenced genes. Family trees weren't terribly important at that point. But the tests Owen did were simple, and only detected variances; they didn't pinpoint what they were."

Esther shook herself mentally. It was strange to hear him talk about his parents, strange to hear him talk about aliens breeding with humans as if it were nothing to even glance at, and for some reason the thought that he might not get a cold was downright weird to her.

Stefano interrupted her thoughts and then echoed them. "Okay. Wow. So aliens and humans just. . . 'mix it up'?"

"Oh yeah. I know some aliens that consider mixing it up with humans to be a crowning achievement." He paused with a grin, "They're fun, too."

Stefano shook his head. "Okay. My other question was just if you're hungry for something other than soup. I can go get something."

Jack declined, saying that soup and fruit were probably safest at the moment, so Esther warmed some more soup and Jack devoured it hungrily, thinking to himself, 'now we're on our way,' and feeling better all around.


	13. Chapter 13

**(I had to reload this after I caught a formatting error. Sorry!) **

Getting cleaned up and then having a small meal felt so good to Jack that when he found himself exhausted again an hour later, he was frustrated. Esther noticed, and as she watched Jack trying to follow what Stefano was explaining about the chart of employees his father had made, she knew he was hardly hearing what he was being told. She interrupted. "Hey, Stefano. Give him a break, okay? We'll hit him again after he sleeps a bit more." Jack looked up at her with a combination of anger and resignation, but didn't protest outright. "Okay, Jack," she challenged, "Who is the last person Stefano was explaining about?"

Jack shook his head. "Someone related to Hitler, I'm sure," he sighed. "I'll remember after my nap."

Stefano chuckled, "No quizzes, Captain. I'm just trying to see if anything sounds familiar to you. Get some rest."

Jack succumbed and rested back on the bed saying, "Fine. But would you please stop calling me Captain?" He closed his eyes again and slept easily.

Esther read a bit of the newspaper while Stefano shuffled through his folder. Esther spoke with a smile over the top of the paper, "What else is in that magic folder of yours?"

He looked up, startled by the question. He looked back down at the folder and said, "Research, mostly. The charts my father put together about the family, some financials of PhiCorp, and some information about you and the rest of your team," he said with a sheepish smile.

Team sounded good to Esther. "Oh yeah? Info about me? Like what?"

He kept shuffling through his papers, talking as he looked."Nothing too deep. I've got your CV from the CIA, your transcripts, a small chart of personal connections, some lists of cases you've worked, and some field observation notes from when you joined up with the Captain."

"You do call him Captain a lot."

He shrugged and switched topics. "I hear a Georgetown PoliSci degree is the best you can get since you're so close to the capital. What did you think?" And so they sat for a long while comparing notes about their undergraduate college experience and laughing over the obnoxious things that were the same, explaining their favorite classes, and exploring their small ideas that never got explored because other things took over. They realized their small, undergraduate ideas were similar, and then they realized that they had been talking for more than two hours while Jack slept, and none of their conversation had to do with the Miracle or Jack.

"We both sort of got swept up in all of this, huh?" Esther postulated as she fixed herself a cup of hot tea. She was met with just another shrug from Stefano, and he got up and came to fix himself a cup as well. They sat down with their cups and began to look back at Stefano's notes. Esther asked to see the charts, hoping she could find something that he hadn't spotted, and she sorted through them for a while. ["_Esther, you study too hard. Come on, let's go out and have some fun! We can go to the mall and walk around, maybe find some deals." Esther shook her head. "I've got two tests tomorrow, Sarah. Besides, isn't Sam coming over for you tonight?" Sam was Sarah's boyfriend and Esther took every chance to avoid him as possible. He rubbed her completely wrong. He knew how flighty Sarah was and he took advantage of it. He knew she couldn't keep track of plans or money, and he used that to his advantage. If Esther could help hold him to his commitments with Sarah, she hoped he'd tire of her and leave. It hadn't worked so far, but at least if he was around then Esther could study uninterrupted. Senior year was harder than ever, and Esther was starting to panic about her scholarship chances, and that was everything. Everything.]_

Finally, they both agreed that Jack would probably sleep for a while, and they could use the rest as well. All three of them slept through the night and woke early the next morning to find things much more settled than they'd been before.

Stefano left for a few minutes after he had a shower, and he returned with breakfast, complete with coffee and tea and some sort of chocolate pastry that Jack practically had an orgasm over. It seemed like he hadn't eaten for a week, which was close to true. He sipped at the tea he was drinking and devoured the pastry, savoring each bite with almost a little too much enthusiasm. "Do you know that chocolate pastries survive all the way to the 51st century? We used to get them once a month in our food shipment to our colony and they wouldn't last a day. Us kids even had the occasional fight over the last ones," he said with a grin.

"Captain, I have to ask, since we're on the subject of the future," Stefano began in intense seriousness, "Do humans still drink Belgian ale in the 51st century?"

Jack laughed and replied, "It went out with the monks, unfortunately. We do, however, have a mean imitation of a Long Island Iced Tea. Not the best drink in the galaxy, though. That honor would go to the Zaphodian Blue Sapphire." He paused. "What I wouldn't give for one of those when all this is over." He was lying, though. He wouldn't go near a Blue Sapphire again. [_"What the hell are we drinking?" he asked. The man next to him laughed darkly, "Does it matter? We're celebrating! Drink up; we completed the mission they said we __**couldn't**__ complete." He closed his eyes as the room started to spin. "Bastards," he said to his partner, "They knew we could do it; they just also knew what we'd find. They're lucky we didn't take it and run." The room spun some more. He kept drinking, though. He and his partner deserved more than the glower they'd earned from their commanding officer, and he was at least going to enjoy his partner's company tonight. And he did. Hours later as the two men lay sated in his bed, the world finally stopped spinning. Of course, when he woke up from the night of Zaphodian Blue Sapphires and the man who would later introduce himself as John Hart was gone, his victory was cold and two years were gone from his life.] _

He sighed and looked down at the remains from his breakfast. "We should use today to plan. I need to call Gwen and I should also start to make arrangements for our flight out to Wales. First: cleanup." He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and as Esther moved to help him, he waved her off, shuffling carefully to the bathroom. He even closed the door behind him, taking a moment to relish in a little privacy for the first time in a week. He was slow about it, but he washed his face and wiped himself down again with a warm washcloth, relishing each stroke. He brushed his teeth and even found a razor to shave the very little stubble that had finally emerged. He combed his hair and dressed himself in his own pants and his t-shirt and button-down, foregoing the braces but feeling much more complete than he had in a while. When he finally emerged, his step was surer and he sat himself down at the table rather than back on the bed. Esther came over and changed the dressing for him again, and this time the red tinge was completely gone. He'd need to keep up with the antibiotics for a while longer, but it certainly seemed like they were working.

He looked to Esther and Stefano and said, "I need a phone and then I need the two of you to get out for a bit. Nothing personal, but I'd like a private conversation with Gwen." They obliged, and he dialed and waited for Gwen to answer.

Stefano and Esther found themselves standing on the sidewalk outside the hotel with nothing to do. "There's a little coffee shop just around the corner," Stefano said, "Where I got Jack's orgasmic pastry. Wanna go get us a cup and come back to this lovely sidewalk? I'll wait here and save you a spot." She agreed and so ten minutes later they were sitting with their coffee on the curb of the sidewalk waiting for Jack to finish the phone call.

"Siblings?" Esther asked as if she were stepping back into an interview.

Stefano smiled. "Three. Two brothers and a sister. All older."

"What do they do?" Esther asked.

"My sister is a researcher at University of Nevada, near Great-Grandfather's house. She does research for the university and research for us on the side. She's actually the one who compiled your file for me," he said with a grin. "She's good."

"What about your brothers?" Esther pestered.

Stefano looked away and was silent for a moment. "One brother died and the other took off on his own after. He wasn't too keen on the family business anymore. He still talks to my mother sometimes, but we don't see him." [_Cardiff was fun, before. Before, Stefano thought of his shifts in Cardiff as the best part of his commitment to the whole operation. He'd been taking short shifts in Cardiff since he was seventeen, and now he took one month shifts every other month. He split his time between Cardiff and New York. He enjoyed the city itself, and it meant he got to follow the Captain around. He liked that because he was still in awe of the Captain, even at 28 years old. His brothers even made fun of him for this obvious awe. Another reason he loved Cardiff was that Jason and Leo were always on his shift, too, along with two other cousins and an uncle. Spending a month in Cardiff with Jason and Leo meant fun. Stefano _could_ understand at this point why his great-grandfather had chosen him to be the one to lead the protection program once everything started, but Jason in particular had a knack for Cardiff. Jason could practically sense when Torchwood was going to be involved in something and he also brought levity to the situation that Stefano craved when he was gone. "That's PC Andy," Jason once told him early on. "Why do we watch PC Andy? You may ask. It's not his sparkling wit or talent for waving that baton around in a pub, no. It's that he has the biggest crush on Gwen Cooper that is humanly possible, and he tips Torchwood off as often as he can manage. You watch. If he's around we'll always know what Torchwood is up to." And he was right. And then Leo would follow with a grin, commenting on the team itself. "Owen Harper - you can recognize him by the 'I'd rather be drinking or shagging' look in his eye." They would all be laughing most of the time they were off duty. That was another reason Stefano was confident in his own skill for the job, though. Jason saw the surface drunkard, and Leo just didn't care enough, but Stefano saw the pained search for approval behind Owen Harper's eyes and the raw cleverness in Andy. Once he realized this, he'd constantly quiz Jason for surface observations so that he could use those to tap the ice and break into the sea underneath. And then Jason and Leo and Stefano got too close to the Torchwood team one night and an alien laser caught Jason across the chest. To keep the Colosantos hidden, Stefano couldn't let Owen Harper or Torchwood see that he'd been hit or help him, and so he watched his older brother die on the streets of Cardiff as they waited for the ambulance that he did call after Torchwood left the scene. After that Leo left for good and it wasn't such a fun place anymore.]_

"What would you have done with your life if you could have chosen?" Esther asked.

He looked at her sharply and lost any casual tone he might have had before, "You misunderstand. I wasn't forced into this. I do believe in what I'm doing. I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't." He looked away. "I'm not saying I like everything about it, but I wouldn't do anything else." He offered a sideways grin and stretched his limbs dramatically, "Besides, I like the action too much to do anything else." With that he stood up, looking into the room. "Jack's still on the phone. Did he tell you anything about a passport for you?" With that, they stood and talked about the passport information and what they might find when they got overseas.

Jack, while they were drinking their coffee and discussing Stefano's family, was trying to convince Gwen that he was okay. "I really am okay, Gwen. I even managed to get myself dressed today. Didn't even ask Esther to help, though I'm sure she wouldn't have minded," and Gwen could hear the grin in his voice, which told her he was certainly feeling better. "We're going to get back on the road in just a bit, I think."

"Jack, did Esther tell you that Stefano has a connection to PhiCorp?"

"Stefano told me, Gwen. He also says that connection has been broken."

"How do we know how broken it is? Really, Jack."

"Listen, Gwen. He's going to help us get to New York. What happens to him once we get there remains to be seen. We have to trust him for now. Now, when we land in Cardiff, where should we go?"

Gwen gave him a location and Jack took a moment to memorize it. Then Gwen asked to speak to Esther, and Jack assured her that he'd call her more regular now that he was feeling better. He stepped outside and handed the phone to Esther before going back inside and sitting down in a chair again. He was worn out, but he was determined to last a few hours.

"Hey, Gwen," Esther said with a smile in her voice. "He's getting better, can you tell?"

"Yeah, I can, Esther. Just don't let him overdo it. He'll try, of course." She really, really hated not being with them. Being torn between wanting to stay with her family and wanting to solve this mess with Jack was gnawing at Gwen every minute. "Listen, can you tell me anything more you've learned about Stefano? I just don't trust him. I know you guys do, but let me tell you that listening to you two talk about a stranger you've put your confidence in without me meeting him is driving me crazy."

Esther sighed, "Gwen, we're not idiots. Besides, I really think he's okay." Esther hesitated for a moment, and Gwen heard the hesitation.

"What, Esther? What? Tell me." Gwen insisted.

Esther felt like she was committing a betrayal, but Gwen was right about his appearance in their world being very convenient. "Look, he did mention a brother who left the family because he didn't want to help with this whole Colosanto family mission. We may want to follow up and make sure he's not a liability. I don't have a name, though."

They talked a few more minutes, and then Esther hung up and went back inside to find Jack and Stefano sitting at the table with the PhiCorp financial charts out, as well as the chart of companies associated with them.

"Look, here," Jack pointed out enthusiastically, "These three companies look like they have nothing to do with PhiCorp. Nothing medical. One media company, one PR company that PhiCorp doesn't use to handle PR, and one financial assets firm. Look," and he pointed to an obscure name on each companies' employee list. "Colin Lynch. He's associated with all three, and he's on PhiCorp's list as well. He connects them, and he's totally unimportant in all of them, as far as employees go. What's his deal?"

"Maybe he's funneling information from each to someone else? Maybe something they do does have to do with what the Families are up to?" Stefano was reaching for straws.

Jack shuffled the papers with a frustrated look. "It's something. It's one more person to add to our list of important people. We'll have to take that for now." He looked up at Esther, who had put the phone away and joined them. "All right, we should go. Get back on the road. We're here in Illinois now, and if we look at the map right we can make New York in twenty hours or so, allowing for some back roads travel, according to Stefano, here." Esther nodded and began to pack up their belongings.

"Jack," she said, "We should allow one night's rest. You're still not ready for too much."

Stefano agreed, and it was settled that they'd try to make it half way and then stop again. That would also give Jack a chance to try and get in touch with his contact, so they could begin the passport and flight arrangements. Esther changed the dressing on Jack's wound again just to be sure, and they piled into the car and were driving again before ten. Jack was asleep in the front seat by ten-thirty, and Stefano and Esther were careful to spell each other often on the driving so that neither got too tired. They stopped for a late lunch/early dinner about six hours later, and found themselves in a college town called Bowling Green, Ohio.

Jack found himself very stiff and still very sore when he unfurled from the front seat of the car after Esther found the way into the center of town. They had joked about finding the perfect diner along the way, and center of town hosted the best candidates. They found a little diner called "Call of the Canyon Café" that made Jack laugh because it was a western themed diner in a Midwest college town. Jack found himself eating more than he had in weeks, though, when he tasted their food, and he was pleased that his appetite seemed to have returned. He saw a group of students come into the restaurant as they were leaving, and noticed a couple of them watching him carefully, even turning their heads to follow him with their eyes as he left the cafe. He laughed, "College girls. They're good."Esther swatted him a good backhand, and he caught her wrist. "What? I can look. No harm done, and they're _really_ cute at that age." She sighed in exasperation and they climbed back into the car after a good hour break. They drove again, and Jack slept some more. Finally, around eleven that night, they found a hotel outside of Erie, Pennsylvania and all three of them slept. When they woke the next morning around seven, they all realized that chances were they'd be in New York City by dinner.

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews, everyone. I love them. Topping that last chapter seemed really hard for me since I was pretty confident in it, and gave me writer's block for several days, so here's a transition chapter. Next up, New York City. **


	14. Chapter 14

**I apologize for the delay in posting. Flu running through the house combined with end-of-term grading that had to be finished first, real life just got in the way. Thank you to McParrot for the writing lesson; hopefully this is an indication of that lesson. Thanks also to Talia, LadyDeb, Veritas6, Honeybee and all the other great constant reviewers and story-following folk! **

New York City. He was home. Stefano sighed inwardly and let the sun-filled sight of the city skyline wash over him with warmth. For the past several years of his life he'd split his time between New York and Cardiff, and when he was in Cardiff it was _always_ for work, but here in New York he'd worked _and_ played. He had a few friends here, not that he'd be calling them this trip, and he had places he liked to go just because they felt good: coffee shops, parks, a jazz club or two, and the libraries and museums. This was home.

It was late afternoon, and Jack had been asleep most of the drive, which was good because Stefano didn't know how much rest was going to be available after tonight. Jack had insisted that he had a contact that could help them get a passport for Esther in a fake name, but it meant visiting a part of New York City that Stefano wasn't terribly familiar with, and adding New York to the mix of protecting Jack made things just a bit harder. Jack had consented to let Stefano pick the area where they spent the night on their arrival, agreeing that meeting his own contact during the day would be better than surprising him at night. So Stefano drove into the city content with the fact that if he got Jack and Esther settled in a hotel for tonight, they could face tomorrow with a better chance. They had one stop to make, and then he could get them ensconced in a hotel until tomorrow.

He drove, feeling an electricity begin to course through his veins the further into the city he got. He was here for the culmination of his life's work. Get Jack and Esther through New York and back to Jack's home turf of Wales and things would be better. Not over, but better.

_["What is your charge, son, in your view?" his father asked gravely to a twenty-one year-old Stefano. They sat in the kitchen of the Colosanto estate in Nevada, just before Stefano was to leave for New York for the first time. "My charge is to be ready to step in and protect Captain Harkness once the Families make their move against him," he replied with confidence. He knew his job. "For how long?" his father continued. Stefano had to think about this one. It was rarely discussed, and all he had for an answer was an assumption. "Well, until he's safe again. When the Families have been defeated." And his father shook his head with a smile. "No, son. That's not quite right." Stefano was puzzled. "Think of it this way, instead," his father said gently, "You must protect Captain Harkness until the threat the Families introduce is neutralized and defeated. This may or may not lead to the defeat of the Families altogether. Their reach is long and tendril-like. We don't know what they're playing at, but we know it's going to involve him. We also know that he has to survive because he's a protector himself. One the planet depends on him whether they know it or not. Protect him, Stefano, the moment he becomes vulnerable and until he regains his strength and defeats the threat that makes him vulnerable. If that means defeating the Families, then that's a bonus." Stefano nodded. It still seemed very fluid to him. One thing at a time is what he figured, so New York City and monthly trips to Cardiff to watch the heroic Captain were next for him, and he was excited.]_

Stefano found his way back to Little Italy in lower Manhattan and drove them to Sara Delano Roosevelt Park, a place he had visited often as a child. It was late afternoon, so children were playing at the colorful playground and some older folks were puttering in the community garden they passed. Stefano drove around the park and pulled the car gently next to a meter and shut it off. Esther looked confused, but Stefano reassured her it was fine. "We're going to meet a couple of people here. They need to meet you because they're going to help protect you. New York City is a busy place, so I arranged for a couple more sets of eyes to be watching while we're here. We'll meet them and then head to the hotel." Esther nodded and reached back to wake Jack from his slumber.

"Jack, wake up. Stefano's making us be social," she said with a wink at Stefano. Jack rubbed his face wearily.

"That wasn't a very productive afternoon for me, huh?" he noted.

Stefano objected, "Just what you needed, if you ask me, Captain. Now we're here." He saw Jack look around out the windows and heard him draw a sharp breath.

"Little Italy," Jack murmured.

Stefano nodded and he noticed Jack clenching his fists. "I'm going to introduce you to one of my cousins and an associate, okay? They're not going to stay with us, but they'll be tailing us and adding eyes while we navigate the city over the next couple days. Once we leave for Wales we'll be on our own again." Jack nodded and Stefano opened his car door with a grin, "Come on, I'll show you around my city."

The three of them climbed out of the car, stretching their stiff joints and looking around. Jack still moved stiffly, and Stefano led them across the street to what looked like an old church sitting at the edge of the park, away from the hustle of the park patrons. No one seemed to be hanging around the red-brick church with the black iron fence, and Stefano led them around the corner of it to a patch of grass and trees with a bench. Sitting on the bench were two men, around Stefano's age, and they stood when they caught sight of him. Stefano stayed near Jack and Esther, ever the bodyguard, but he held his hand out to his cousin, who approached with a smile.

"Carlos! Good to see you again," Stefano said, glad to see his tall cousin and thinking fondly of the days the two of them used to spend Christmases together hiding from the grown-ups. His grin faded, though, when Carlos stepped up to shake his hand and said firmly, "Ah, Stefano. You brought the Captain to us, just as we asked you to do. Good work." As soon as this sentence passed Carlos' lips, a third man stepped from the shadows of the church with a chloroform cloth and wrapped it around Jack's face, and before Stefano could realize what was happening, Jack crumpled to the ground with a grunt and Esther was grabbed from behind and an arm thrust across her face to muffle her sudden scream. Stefano whirled, trying to take the legs out from under his cousin, but another man stepped from the shadows and clubbed him across the face, slamming him into the ground and twisting his arms behind him violently. He felt his shoulder pop out of its socket and stifled a groan, trying to steady his own breathing to take stock of the situation. He was hauled to his feet by the thug who tackled him, and his cousin was standing back, a cruel laugh tumbling from his mouth.

"You should see your face, cousin!" he said mirthfully. "Not how you planned this to go, no?"

Stefano struggled for a moment as Jack was hauled away, unconscious, to a sedan that had driven up to the curb near the church. He took stock of the man holding him and the man holding Esther, and decided to bide his time for a moment. His anger, though, was unhinged. "What the hell are you doing, Carlos! You're a fucking traitor! How can you do this to our family!" His own voice sounded rough and thunderous in his head and he saw his cousin visibly cringe as he took Stefano's verbal onslaught.

Stefano continued, unable to stop himself and calm down, and the hot, white pain in his shoulder just fueled the rage in his voice. "You sold us out? How the fuck do you sell out _generations_? Your father would be disgraced, and shit, you're not just fucking with our family, you're fucking with the world! You idiot!" This was the end, if they couldn't get back to Jack. This was the end and he'd failed if he couldn't get back to Jack, and this thought made him nauseous. He knew they didn't have a lot of time because the Families just wanted Jack dead at this point. They were done with his blood; they just needed him out of the way. If Carlos had turned Jack over to the Families then Stefano only had until they got to him before everything would be over. He took a deep breath, forcing the creeping nausea down his throat. He needed information and he needed to calm down.

"I'm the idiot?" Carlos snarled. He stalked right up to Stefano's face, close enough for Stefano to breathe in his cousin's heavy laugh. "You really believe that bastard can save the world? Seriously? You really are naïve. He's just a freak. The Families want him just to kill him, and I figure the sooner he's out of our lives then the sooner we can get our lives _back_!" He shouted the last word, and Stefano's knees nearly crumpled under the impact. He _knew_ that feeling. He'd felt that feeling a thousand times himself, but he thought his own family was stronger than that and the thought of that strength kept him going. Leo had left because Jason got killed, but Carlos hadn't suffered anything that extreme. He had made a few trips to Cardiff with Stefano and his brothers, but he hadn't been subjected to the same amount of training that Stefano had done. He had a fairly normal life, even with a wife and a kid. He hadn't had to give up much more than some time, and still he had caved in to the demands of the Family.

"Where are they taking him, Carlos? Tell me!" Stefano knew he sounded desperate, but he couldn't help it. "You've done your job, you've given him over, now tell me where he is so I can get him out of there! You bastard, tell me!" Carlos leaned in even closer, though, and his eyes grew cold.

"They threatened my family, Stefano. You think I'll give you that when they threatened my family? You're insane. I've always known that about you, though." Carlos cast a look over at Esther, who had stood by with a haunted look in her eyes through the whole exchange. "You put your trust in a guy who's insane, you know that?" Carlos looked back to Stefano. "Cold, heartless. Ever since Jason died, you haven't been right. You'd kill your own family to save the Captain, did you tell them about that? Did you? I'll tell her."

Stefano closed his eyes against the memories as Carlos turned back to Esther. "Killed our own cousin, Stefano did. An only child he was, and a bastard, that's true. But Stefano? He didn't just teach him a lesson after the moron tried to turn Harkness over in Cardiff. He killed him! Didn't even bat an eye. There was just the three of us guarding the Captain that night, and Andrew threw me down a hill to get me out of the way and then started shouting for their agents to come and get Harkness. Andrew thought Stefano was out cold, so didn't worry about him. But he wasn't. Drew his gun and shot Andrew right through the heart. Killed at least one of the Family agents, too. Lugged our dead cousin back to our headquarters and called our uncle, telling him there'd been an accident. Killed his own family to protect Harkness. That's just wrong." Carlos looked back to Stefano, "You haven't been family to me since, you devil. Now it's over and you can rot, as far as I care."

He backed off, and looked at the two men holding Stefano and Esther. "Kill Colosanto and make sure the broad can't scream for a while." Then he turned on his heel and stalked away, heading out of sight around the corner of the church.

Stefano knew he didn't have time to think, so he didn't. He ignored the pain in his left arm and as he felt the man holding him shift his weight to pull out the knife he was going to use to end Stefano's life, Stefano twisted at an odd angle, throwing himself toward the ground and away, drawing his feet up and kicking the man away from him. This put him on the ground near Esther, and he knocked the feet of her surprised captor from under him, pulling his own knife out of his belt and thrusting it into the man's shoulder. He uttered a surprised yell of pain and let go of Esther, and Stefano thrust again, this time into his leg. He felt hands around his own waist as his own captor rejoined the fight, and he spun again, using his good hand for leverage as he round-kicked the man in the side of his face with a crunch. The man crumpled to the ground, and Stefano put his knee to the man's chest with his knife at the man's throat, breathing heavily. His shoulder was on fire, but he'd done everything with his good hand and his legs so far, so ignored it. His knife he held didn't waver, and he leaned in close and said hoarsely, "Tell me where they took him. Now."

The man grunted in pain and his eyes were wide with fear. "How the hell should I know? They never said! We were just hired to help hit you guys."

Stefano felt the situation start to slip out of his control, and he tried another tack. "Tell me what you heard. Anything about place. Doesn't matter if you don't know what it meant! Anything!" He pressed the knife tip to the man's throat. "Anything."

The man thought for a moment, and shook his head. "They just kept saying nonsense shit. I couldn't follow 'em. 'Get him back to the basement,' and 'just like before,' they kept saying." He shook his head, thinking he'd given nothing, but Stefano grinned and took a deep breath.

He looked at the other man lying bleeding on the ground and knew he wouldn't be talking to anyone anytime soon, and he looked back at the man he had pinned to the ground and dragged him to the nearby bench, sifting through his pockets and taking the cell phone and car keys he found. He held the man down with his knee and kept the knife trained on his throat. "Esther," he said, not taking his eyes off the man in front of him. She didn't respond. "Esther! Please, come here. I need you to do something for me." She appeared next to him, silent. "Take the car keys from my pocket and go back to our car. Get that bag from the trunk that you asked me about, okay?" She didn't move, and he knew she was afraid of him. He steadied his voice and forced his own hysteria to stop betraying him, "Come on. Get it and we'll go get the Captain. Please, I _promise_ I didn't do this. We'll get him back. I know where he is and I didn't do this, Esther." He heard her take a shaky breath and then she reached down with a trembling hand and pulled the keys from his pocket and disappeared around the church. A few minutes later she returned with the bag. "Open it. There should be a chain and a lock in there." She did as he asked and a minute later the big man was chained to the park bench.

Stefano stood and took a shaky breath. He walked over to the wall of the church, leaned on his good arm, and breathed again, and then slammed his bad shoulder against the wall. He had to do it again, but finally he felt his shoulder snap into place as a pillar of flame shot down his arm. He leaned his forehead against the cool church wall for a moment and took deep breaths and then felt a hand on his back, pressing gently. He turned to see Esther standing there looking up at him with her hand pressed to his back. He took another deep breath and looked down at her. "Come on," he said firmly. "Let's go get the Captain."

They walked silently back to the car, and Stefano took the wheel. Esther was quiet. She felt like her brain was trying to catch up to what her eyes and ears had taken in, and she didn't know what to do. She looked at the dark haired man sitting next to her, Stefano Colosanto, not too far off from her own age but suddenly looking far older as he sat there fumbling to get the keys in the ignition and start them on their way to Jack. She felt like she'd just watched a Shakespeare tragedy in ten minutes, and Stefano was the tragic hero. But she knew he wasn't that kind of hero, really. Not yet. She took a deep breath. Jack. They had to get to Jack, and her fear for him caused her breath to hitch and she clutched her arms to her chest as she felt herself begin to tremble. She looked at Stefano as he pulled the car away from the curb and shakily asked where they were going.

"The butcher shop. They've taken him back to the butcher shop," he replied, and his voice sounded thrilled, like this place was holy, or famous, or apocryphal. She wasn't sure which, but at least he knew where they were going.

"Is it far?"

"No. Just a few minutes," he paused. "Are you all right?"

She wasn't sure how to answer, so she just nodded. She needed that bravery back from when Jack first got shot. That's what she needed now. She couldn't find it. This was different. This wasn't running away. This was running right into the Families' lair and that's what it felt like, a _lair_. It was probably a lair with a lion, if they were lucky, and if they weren't lucky, it would be a lair with a monster. Running there felt different than running away. She took another deep breath and ignored her own fear. "How are we going to get him out?"

Stefano looked over at her again and she met his eyes, challenging him to answer. He seemed surprised at her question, as if he were expecting her to ask something else, but she knew there wasn't time to ask anything else. Those other questions would just have to wait. So she asked again, "Stefano. How are we going to get him out?"

He looked back at the road and spoke quietly. "I'm not sure yet. I'm hoping they'll be keeping this small, and quiet. It's just an execution, after all, and they must have more flashy things to do elsewhere. If it's small then I can do it myself. Get into the shop and down to the basement to Jack. A few people I can handle." And she knew he could. She had seen enough that day to know that he could handle a few people, but she shuddered when he spoke the word 'execution,' knowing he was right, angry at him for saying it so plainly, so easily. It shouldn't be easy, and she shouldn't be sitting next to someone for whom a few people were easy to 'handle'.

[_She and Martin were having coffee on a break one day. She had just finished a fiery rant about the administrators dictating their caseload, and he grinned at her. "Ever want to be a field agent, Esther? Go kick some actual ass rather than just rant about it?" She grinned back at him and laughed, "No. Way. Can you imagine me, in the field? I'm a mouse; I'd get eaten alive!" Martin shook his head and said, very seriously with a glint in his eye, "I think you'd surprise yourself, Esther Drummond. I think you'd surprise yourself."]_

They drove in silence for just a few minutes, Stefano weaving the car in and out of the old city streets like a native. What seemed like an eternity later but wasn't much more than ten minutes, they pulled next to an alley way and Stefano stopped the car. He took a deep breath and Esther watched as he methodically checked his gun, pulled a bag from the back seat and got out another gun, checking that and putting both in his jacket pocket. He took his knife out and wiped the blade before slipping it into his jeans pocket. He pulled a thin wire out of the bag as well, tucking it into his back pants pocket, and then he pulled another gun out of the bag and handed it to Esther. She took it, looking him in the eye the whole time.

"Do you know how to use it?"

She nodded, "We got basic firearms training. Not much, but enough."

"Good. Now. I want you to stay at least five feet behind me at all times. Understand? Backup. That's all. Do _not_ fire unless I give you a signal, deal? Do not fire unless I tell you to."

"Deal. Five feet, don't fire unless ordered to do so. I can do that," she said with a reassuring smile and another deep breath. He returned it, and with a grin he climbed out of the car.

They walked from the car to the corner of the alleyway nearby, keeping their guns out of sight. Esther followed Stefano's rule and stayed back from him. He entered the alley slowly, and Esther heard before she saw anything the sound of Stefano's silenced gun firing two shots, and when she emerged into the old, brick alley there were two burly men crashed on the ground outside an old wooden door. Stefano approached the door, put his gun in his pocket long enough to take a small tool smoothly out of his pocketknife and jimmy the lock on the door as quietly as he could. He pulled his gun back out after pocketing his knife, and gestured to her to signal going in.

She nodded, thinking that it was good they had to be silent, because she probably wouldn't have heard anything for her own heart thudding in her ears. Stefano gently pushed the door open, and Esther could see from her vantage point that it was a back stairwell of a shop down to a basement. _The_ basement, she figured. She suppressed another shudder at the thought of what Jack must be feeling being down there, if he was feeling anything at all anymore. Pushing her breath through pinched lips and breathing deeply again, she let Stefano begin his descent and then followed, noting the musty smell of the old stone stairwell with crumbling wooden rails, and feeling the air get colder and colder as they climbed down the steps, the chill in the air clinging to her arms and face the further down they went. She heard Stefano rustle ahead of her, and then she heard a grunt as the man he apparently stabbed crumpled to the ground in front of her. She saw Stefano wave her forward in the dim light when she got to the bottom of the stairs, and then she noticed the figure hanging from a hook ten feet or so in front of them, shadowed, and his head hanging down on his chest, seemingly unaware of their presence. It was Jack.

Jack heard someone coming down the stairs, but he didn't pay attention. He couldn't. He couldn't focus on anything except the fact that he was back in _this_ basement, back hanging by his wrists in a place where he had died over and over and over and over again, and he couldn't focus. His breath was cold and ragged in his chest, and he felt the rope cutting into his wrists because his body ached from the blows they rained on him as they strung him up and the chloroform wore off. He felt like fifty people were hitting him, calling him a devil, screaming for God, but he realized the basement seemed empty enough now and he couldn't quite stand. Tired of this, damn it, he was so tired of this. His side was splitting in pain from where they hit his healing wound, his head ached from the chloroform, and one minute he knew where he was and the next he didn't know when, and then, after they'd left him hanging and stopped hitting him, he swore he smelled machine gun fire, metal, and time lords.

But then he opened his eyes and saw the stone walls of the shop basement, smelled the musty air of dank years of blood from the slaughterhouse seeping into those stones he was roped to, and tasted the blood running down his own face from a small cut that normally would have healed by now above his eye but now wouldn't stop bleeding in the way that normal head wounds don't. Different, the same, different.

He heard something, though, someone new, and they moved softly, and then a voice he didn't ever want to hear again called his name, "Captain. Are you all right?" And he didn't answer, hoping the voice would come closer, the voice that sent him back to this basement and damp, cold, bloody hell. It did come closer, and he saw a knife glinting in the hand that reached toward him and he didn't hear the kind tone in the voice or the words saying he was going to cut him down; he only saw the knife and heard the traitor's voice and so Jack took one deep breath and curled his legs up to his his body, ignoring the chafing cuts of the rope on his wrist as he did so and he kicked out, shoving Stefano the traitor hard against the wall, hearing his head thunk against the stone and his body slide down to the floor, the knife clattering against the hard cement.

Jack dropped his feet and lifted his head, and saw that Stefano was slumped against the wall, rolling onto the pavement and cradling his head in his hands as someone else skittered up next to him, grabbing the knife and turning to Jack. It was Esther. Esther who kept him safe and looked after him and no, please, don't be a traitor, too.

She smiled at him gently and showed her hands clearly and spoke in a soothing tone, "Jack, it's okay. I'm going to cut you down and we're getting you out of here. It's going to be all right." She had a soothing voice and took small steps, so he let her come. He wanted to curl in upon himself and keep himself safe, but there was a chance here and he knew it. There was a chance she was good, kind, and everything she'd been over the last few weeks. So he held still and she reached up slowly to the ropes and cut them. He stood again, but his strength had disappeared and his knees buckled. Esther tried to catch him, but he dragged her down to the floor and she cradled him as best she could, uttering soothing sounds again.

He slumped into her chest and his breaths heaved and he heard her whispering, "Jack, it's all right. Stefano didn't do this. We're getting you out, but we have to go. We have to go now if we want to get out safely. All right?" He had to trust someone, so he nodded weakly. As soon as he nodded he felt strong arms lifting him and throwing his arm over a shoulder.

He turned sharply to face Stefano, who was holding him up, and Stefano looked at Jack with Angelo's eyes and said thickly, "I _promise_, Captain. I didn't do this. I _promise_." And Stefano looked and sounded like a son defending himself to his father, needing his father to understand. Jack didn't understand, but he nodded anyway and let himself be led up the stone stairwell and into the dank alleyway behind the shop.

Stefano moved them quickly to the car and bundled Jack into the back seat. Esther climbed in beside Jack and threw her arms around him, pulling him against her in a desperate grip. He realized he was shaking, and he still felt the cold of the basement wrapping him heartlessly and it all still came down to his body, his blood, and his unnatural curse. He let Esther run her hands up and down his back and try to infuse him with her warmth, and he thought to himself that he'd better come to terms pretty damned soon that his curse is what things _always_ came down to with him, but he didn't want to do that. So he rested his head against Esther, and trusted the two people in the car who were trying to help him; one who reminded him of a former lover, and one who reminded him of a trusted friend.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: If I didn't post this today, then you all would have to wait until after some holiday travelling, so I thought I'd go ahead with this. I love the week that school is out; these chapters this week were my present to myself. I hope you enjoy them, because they were really fun to write! Thanks again for all of your reviews. They make my day brighter!**

Esther ran her hands up and down Jack's back as he leaned heavily on her shoulder and as Stefano pulled away from the butcher shop and broke several traffic rules to create distance from the place. They had gotten lucky in their breakout, and Esther knew it. Stefano appeared to know it too, and found the freeway as quickly as one can in New York City and headed north, breaking the speed limit. Esther figured that getting stopped by the cops was better than getting stopped by a Family member at this point, so she wasn't going to argue. Esther could feel Jack trembling in her arms, and he kept his face buried in her shirt and his arms clenched around his own chest. His hair was wet with sweat, and she could feel her shirt dampening from the sweat and blood on his face. She looked down at him and tried to peel him off of her, only because she wanted to make sure he was okay physically.

"Jack, hey. Let me see your face, okay? Talk to me for just a minute, please. I want to make sure you're all right." He looked up, and he shifted in her arms and she felt him take a deep breath and then another. He didn't stop trembling, though, but she helped him shift his body up so that he was leaning against the back seat of the car. His face was ashen and sweaty with blood running down the side, a bruise was forming around his eye, and his voice echoed the trembling of his body.

". . . cold," he murmured, not opening his eyes. The whir of the car heater startled her a moment later as Stefano reached over and turned it onto high. She felt the heat flow into the backseat gratefully, even though she was sweating and hot. She could feel Jack still trembling under her hand. Esther scrounged around the floor of the back seat and found a cloth and used it to wipe the blood from the cut above his eye, which was darkening in a deep bruise. She wiped his face as well, keeping a hand on his arm and holding him tight. She leaned over him, gently pulling his shirt out of his waistband and peeling his t-shirt up off his abdomen. She peeled the dressing of his wound back and was glad to find that it wasn't bleeding. She could see bruises starting to form across his abdomen, but they hadn't broken the wound back open. He drew a sharp breath when she peeled his t-shirt higher, and she saw more bruising on his ribs. She felt them gingerly and he jerked back. Possibly a cracked rib or two, then, she thought, just bruising if they were lucky. Great. She let his shirts back down again and he crossed his arms over his chest, clenching himself tightly.

She reached up and rubbed his cheek gingerly."We'll find a place to rest, Jack. We'll get you cleaned up and warm soon."

He didn't answer, just sat there with his head leaned back, his eyes clenched tight, drawing ragged breaths, and holding his own shoulders defensively. Esther looked forward as she felt the car slowing down and she realized that Stefano had exited the highway and was pulling to a stoplight.

"What are you doing?" Esther asked.

"I need aspirin and Jack needs ice and water. You could use some water, too, I imagine. I'll get us some supplies for the night and then we'll drive a bit more and find a hotel."

"We're not going where you thought we would, I guess?" she followed.

"No. We're getting away from lower Manhattan. I don't know who else might have been in with Carlos. We need to go further out." He paused as the light changed and he turned the car into a drugstore parking lot. "Let me get these things and then we're going to drive for a bit. I know Jack needs to rest, but he's going to have to hang on for a bit. We need to get further away." Stefano's voice sounded remarkably calm to her.

Esther nodded. The night had fallen and she felt tiredness begin to weigh down on her. She eased Jack down onto her lap while Stefano went inside for the supplies. She ran her fingers through his hair and felt him trembling on her legs, and a few minutes later Stefano reappeared. He opened the back door and held out a fleece blanket and an ice pack. Esther spread the blanket over Jack and reached for the ice pack. Stefano nodded toward Jack, "It looks like they did a nasty job on his face. I know he's cold, but that eye is going to swell shut pretty soon if we're not careful." She nodded and leaned over Jack.

"Hey," she said gently, "I'm going to put an ice pack on your eye, Jack. It's not what you probably want right now, but you need it." He didn't respond, so she gently set it on his swelling eye. He started, but then relaxed back in her lap, letting her hold the pack on his face. Stefano reached up and pulled a travel mug from the roof of the car and handed it in to her. She raised an eyebrow. "Hot tea," he responded. I've got another one if he wants some." Then he handed her a bottle of water. "Make him drink this. He's going to go into shock if we're not careful, but this will help." She took it gratefully and set it on the floor. She ran her hand down Jack's wet face once more and gently eased him up again. He cringed, but he huddled into the blanket, took the water and tried to drink it. She took the bottle from his shaking hand and helped after a minute, and he managed to drink most of it in one go. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Stefano shake four or five pills into his own hand and swallow them with his own water. Then he eased them back onto the highway and drove in silence.

_["You're being quiet," Esther said. Sarah turned her head as they sat on the couch and responded, "I don't want them to hear us." Esther sighed. She knew how to help Sarah plan for things, pay for things, follow through on things. But she never knew how to help her get past things. "Should I be quiet, too?" Esther asked, thinking that maybe she should play along tonight. "You're always quiet, Esther." Sarah responded clearly, looking at the window as if something was going to jump through any minute. "There's no one there," Esther said. Her parents had sat with Sarah, too. They told Esther that she would have to be there to help her sister when she needed it, that it was what siblings did for each other, so Esther tried. But when Sarah turned quiet, then Esther knew that was signaling a turn, a turn that just needed to be ridden out, quietly.]_

They drove for almost an hour, and Esther noticed that they left New York for New Jersey. Jack had settled back down in her lap after he drank some water and had some tea, and he wasn't trembling anymore and was even dozing. Esther started to relax after a bit and knew that they were out of immediate danger.

Stefano pulled into a hotel parking lot, parked and turned to her, and she noticed his own cheek bruised and beginning to swell, his brown eyes tired. "Listen, I look like garbage right now; can you take some cash and get the room? I don't want any questions if we can help it."

She nodded as he dug in his wallet for the money and handed it back to her. She didn't point out the slight shake of his hand, just eased Jack off her lap as she climbed out of the car and headed for the office. Ten minutes later they were pulling into a parking space outside their room, and the thought of a bed was practically making her salivate.

Jack felt a shake of his shoulder and heard Esther's voice softly telling him to wake up. He wasn't really asleep; he'd slept a little on her lap, enough to calm down as he warmed up, finally, and then he woke as Stefano pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. Jack felt sore, so very sore, and as he sat up to climb out of the car he winced and groaned a bit. Once he hauled himself out of the car, he stared at his feet, hoping they'd do their thing and move, but they weren't reading his mind very well. Suddenly Stefano was at his side and pulled Jack's hand over his shoulder, and they walked together, Stefano supporting Jack's weight silently as they entered the room. Jack thought Stefano's breathing sounded funny, short breaths filled with pain. He wondered what had happened to him. His brain felt fuzzy, though, so he stayed quiet and looked around. The room was nice, nicer than any they'd had yet, with a large bathroom and two beds and a couch, all decorated in that bland, brown and orange hotel color scheme. The large screen television and the refrigerator added an air of crisp newness to the room, and as Stefano eased Jack down to the bed he breathed the clean air freshener scent of linens and lay back on the bed with a groan. Esther chuckled.

"Come on, Jack, can you come get cleaned up a bit first? You'll feel better. Your wound looked good, but I want to check it again after you've washed up." He could hear the worry in her voice as she tried to direct him before he crashed into sleep. He wondered if he'd sleep, though, as visions of that basement kept edging around his brain. Getting clean did sound good, and it would keep any nightmares away for a few minutes longer, so he stood again, with Esther's help, and headed for the bathroom.

It was a fresh, clean room filled with silver plated basins and a large tub and clean towels. Esther gave him another bottle of water to keep by his side and a handful of aspirin to swallow, and he closed the door with a small smile and sat down on the edge of the tub and drank thirstily. Gingerly, he filled the tub with a small bit of warm water and stripped down, noting the bruises and wincing as he tested his ribs with a prod. He didn't think they were broken or even cracked, which was good, but damn, they hurt a lot anyway. His own breaths were coming shallower than normal thanks to the henchmen's fists earlier that day. Clenching his eyes shut for a moment he knew he just wanted to focus on feeling better, cleaner. He sunk himself into the bathtub and put his hands on the bottom, palms down, holding himself up and dropping his head to his chest, trying to breathe a little deeper. He sat in the water for a few minutes just soaking, and then he washed himself clean, stopping only when he realized he was frantically rubbing the washcloth over his already clean arms, hoping the stench of blood from the butcher shop would just go away.

As the water grew tepid, he pulled himself slowly out of the tub and dressed in a fresh t-shirt and shorts and pants, threw the wet towel across the rack, and opened the door with a sigh. He really was feeling better, and he thought he might be able to get a little sleep if he tried. Esther was sitting in the small chair by the window, just looking outside, and Stefano was on the couch with his head leaned back and his eyes closed a little too tightly and breathing a little too shallowly to be sleeping.

Esther came to him as he sat on the edge of one of the beds, and she pulled a stack of gauze and disinfectant and tape from her nearby bag. She gave him a small smile and began to change the dressing.

"How's it look?" he asked, trying to sound cheery; the silence in the room was starting to feel a bit strange.

"I think it's okay," she said, "I think you got lucky, of course, but that would be you, right?"

"Mr. Lucky, that's what they call me," he retorted with his own grin. "I am glad it's not reopened, of course. If only they could have been as considerate with the rest of their blows."

As they spoke, Stefano pulled himself off the couch, rifled through his own bag for a few things, and slipped silently into the bathroom. Jack noticed.

_["He's too quiet," he told Owen one afternoon after the incident with Lisa. "He's always quiet, Jack," Owen responded curtly. "Too quiet," Jack reiterated. "He does his job, says nothing, and goes home." He paused. "He thinks we're angry at him, still." "Are we?" Owen asked. Jack replied, "I've been in love. You've been in love, too. It makes you stupid. It makes you do stupid things." Jack sighed and looked at the door Ianto had just left through, "I was angry. You were angry. Rightfully so. But he was being stupid. And now he's being quiet. That's trouble of a different sort."]_

"Is he okay?" he asked Esther quietly. The young man hadn't spoken at all to Jack on the trip to the hotel, even as he helped him inside, and Jack knew he'd gotten beat up a little himself judging by the huge bruise across his cheekbone.

Esther looked toward the bathroom and back to Jack, "Well, he got betrayed by his own family today, got his shoulder dislocated – had to pop it back in on his own against the wall of a church – and then got his head slammed pretty hard against a stone wall by you as he singlehandedly pulled off your rescue from armed guards." Jack started to protest that he had her to help, but she shook her head, saying, "I covered him, that's all. I didn't do anything other than cut you down because he was too dizzy to do it himself." She paused and looked back to where Stefano had disappeared, "So no, I'm not sure he's feeling well."

Jack took a deep breath. "I didn't know he wasn't involved, and I was out of it when he approached me with a knife. I'm sorry I kicked him, but I didn't understand."

"Do you understand now, Jack?" She asked, leaning back to look at him. "He didn't betray you."

It was hard to acknowledge that Stefano was really helping Jack, and that he wouldn't betray him. Jack didn't understand the man's loyalty one bit, really, except that Stefano's own family must mean more to him than a man like Jack could understand, having been separated by monsters, time, space, and betrayal from his own family all those years ago. Family loyalty like that was too far away from Jack for him to really believe, but then he thought of Grey and recalled devotion, however twisted. He looked at Esther, and said truthfully, "I do understand that, Esther. I believe him."

"Good," she replied firmly, "Because I think he's feeling pretty guilty about what his cousin did to you, despite his own innocence."

"Had to pop his own shoulder back into place?" Jack asked, avoiding her statement. "That's not easy to do."

She nodded, wincing in sympathy for Stefano's earlier pain. "Yeah. Of course, that was _after_ he took down the two guys holding us in the park, one of whom was ordered to kill him, and _before_ he drove to the butcher shop and took out three armed guards to get to you."

Jack shook his head, impressed, "All in a day's work, huh?"

They heard the shower in the bathroom, and Jack tried to stay awake to ask how he was doing, but Stefano stayed in there so long that Jack dozed off in the bed, his weariness keeping the images of the butcher shop away. He woke again hours later to the sound of Stefano's raised voice saying something about a brother bleeding to death in Cardiff, and the door to the room slamming shut. When he sat up he saw Esther sitting on the couch, head in her hands.

"Esther, what happened?" he asked tentatively as he climbed out of the bed stiffly. It looked to be morning, and he was surprised that he had slept all night.

Esther looked up sharply at Jack's voice. "I tried to talk to Stefano about yesterday. He didn't want to talk," she said, wiping tears away from her eyes and standing up. "I need a shower. Are you all right?"

He nodded, a little confused by her demeanor. "I slept well. I'm stiff, but I'm okay."

She nodded curtly and went into the bathroom, leaving him standing in the middle of the room. He threw a shirt on over his t-shirt and went outside to see Stefano and find out what was going on.

Stefano took deep breaths as he leaned against the wall outside the hotel room door, raising his head to the morning sky and trying to pull some of the fresh air into his lungs to squeeze out the anger and frustration choking his brain. He couldn't think straight. He _had_ to think straight. There was work to do and two people to get safely on a plane for Wales, and he couldn't think straight. He had woken up that morning with his shoulder throbbing and his head still aching from the previous day's craziness, and he'd tried to shake it off with aspirin and another shower, but he still felt muddled and a little sick. When he came out of the shower and found Esther sitting up on the couch waiting for him, he stopped in his tracks. They hadn't spoken since car ride the night before; when he had finally emerged from his shower she and Jack were both sound asleep, so he'd lain out on the couch and slept there, waking before they did in the morning.

Now, though, she was looking at him with concern in her eyes, and when he saw it he just wanted to hide. He didn't want to talk to her about what she'd seen and heard the day before. He just didn't. Those events and the emotions they brought out in him belonged in a box in the corner of his mind, and he didn't need her kind eyes dredging up emotions he had kept tightly closed in that box for so long. He was tired, aching, and trying to get his head back in the frame of mind for planning, and as she stood and asked if he was okay, he just clammed up.

_["Talk to me, Stefano," his sister prodded. "I know you were there." He was lying on his bed in his room at his parent's house, and she had cornered him. "Tell me how he died, why he died," she insisted. "He died because of me," Stefano whispered, "Is that what you want to hear about?" She sat down on the edge of his bed and set her hand upon his back, "You didn't kill him. If he died because of you, then it was an accident, and you can't blame yourself for an accident." "It was neglect," Stefano insisted, his voice muffled by the pillow he had his face shoved against, "I didn't call for help." He paused. "I couldn't! The Captain was standing right there, and Harper, and if I called then they'd know, and can you imagine Harkness finding out about all of this? It would be over." His sister lay down next to him on the bed. "It wasn't your fault. Jason knew, just like you do, that getting killed was a possibility." She draped her arm across his back and buried her face in his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault." He didn't answer. He never answered_.]

"Yeah, I'm sore, but I'm okay," he said shortly.

She prodded, "You went through a lot yesterday. Do you want to talk about it?"

Shaking his head and desperately holding the lid on the box in his mind shut, he said, "No. Thanks. We need to plan today."

She nodded, but added, "Maybe before we plan you should deal with what your cousin did. Jack's all right, I think, but if you want to talk, we can."

He looked at her and felt emotion pushing against the lid of the box he'd been keeping it in, her amazing eyes pulling the lid right off the box and pulling his shame right from its depths, and he didn't know what to say or do.

"Why would you want to talk to me after what you heard yesterday?" he asked, incredulous to her kindness.

"I heard a very angry and frightened man call his cousin names, yesterday," she replied. "I heard a story about a young man doing what he thought needed to be done for his job."

And the box in his mind where he'd kept his emotions for so long exploded. "Well, when killing your own cousin and letting your brother bleed to death in the streets of Cardiff is what you think needs to be done for your job, you should probably find a new job," he retorted angrily, and he turned on his heel without a word and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Now he stood, trying to settle his breathing, desperately trying to find the box in his mind again so that he could put things back in order and move on with his work. He heard the door open beside him, but was surprised to see the Captain step out and shut the door behind him.

"She just wanted to help you," the Captain said gently, his blue eyes searching Stefano's dark ones.

He was going to suffocate from their combined gentleness. "Yes. I know." He straightened himself up against the wall, but didn't say anything. He wanted to find that box for his emotions again. Captain Harkness leaned against the wall next to him with a sigh.

"How's your shoulder?" he asked, changing the subject.

Stefano gingerly rotated it to test it. "Not quite as bad as the headache. Sore."

"Sorry about the headache. I wasn't thinking clearly," the Captain offered.

Stefano sighed. "Even if you were thinking clearly you had every right to do what you did. You thought I'd turned you over."

"Glad you didn't."

Stefano stayed silent. He didn't know what to say. As he thought about it he realized he hadn't really had a conversation with the Captain by himself since the whole affair started, and now he was too tired to carry one on with any ease. "I'm sorry for what my cousin did to you, Captain," he offered.

Captain Harkness shook his head, "Not your fault. Thanks for getting me out of that basement. I hear you had to get through a few thugs to get to me, and I appreciate it." The men stood quietly for a minute, and Stefano thought he saw the box in his mind again and was glad. And then the Captain asked, "Why did you let your brother bleed to death in Cardiff?" And the box blew away again in a flurry of rage.

Stefano clenched his fists, and he closed his eyes against the flood of pain filling his chest. How often had he dreamed of this moment, telling the Captain about all of this and screaming and raging at the man for being the reason for his brother's death? How often had he craved getting the excuse for the floodgates to open and all of his fiery rage at his own situation turning against the object of his devotion, the one whose life consistently trumped his own? How often had he thought of this moment? He pulled a breath in through clenched teeth and remembered the answer.

He'd thought about it often enough to know that it wasn't right, that the amazing man standing next to him was not the man to blame for anything that had ever happened to him or his family, and he found the box sitting neat and clean where he'd left it in his mind, and he picked it up and opened the lid again and let his breath out and said, "No disrespect intended, Captain, but it doesn't matter anymore." And then Stefano closed his eyes, mentally poured everything back into the box, closed the lid, opened his eyes again, and stepped around the Captain and opened the door to the room, signaling the bewildered-looking older man to go in first. He would fix a cup of coffee and they would plan their departure from the US. Maybe he could sleep on the plane; he was still so tired.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry for the horrendous delay! Holiday chaos combined with a small dose of writer's block got in the way. Here we go again, though. Thanks so much for reviewing. Reviews make me so happy! I hope you don't find me terribly lazy, but I have no use for the character of Oswald Danes. I understand what the writers were (weakly) trying to get at with the parallels between Jack's many circumstances where he had to sacrifice a child and Oswald's murder of a child, but it was a dumb storyline that had no reward for me, therefore, he doesn't even figure into my AU, much less find "the guy" that got Jack and Esther overseas (who doesn't exist in my storyline either) and somehow get to Cardiff himself. Oi. **

**Oh, and Jack kisses someone this chapter. [ducks and runs. . .]**

"You have a contact that can get Esther a passport? How fast?" Esther heard Stefano ask Jack outside the bathroom. She was finishing up getting dressed, and she was trying to work out how to get past her own frustration. She had seen Stefano get torn down in just a few words from his cousin yesterday, had seen him get betrayed in a way she couldn't even imagine – a life's work getting jeopardized in mere minutes – and she had wanted to help. She trusted him. She had enjoyed talking to him in a way that, well, that bothered her in its ease. She didn't feel at all odd in asking him if he needed to confide in her, because she already felt that she could confide in him. His rejection had hit her in a way she hadn't expected at all; she had obviously been hoping he'd confide in her, which was surprising. She hadn't been interested in how anyone felt about her personally in a long time, much less someone whose life was so different than her own. She shook herself mentally as she stood in front of the mirror. As Rex would have been very quick to point out, this was not the time to feel rejected by a boy. 'Unprofessional,' he'd say. She finished getting cleaned up and stepped back out into the hotel room where Jack and Stefano were discussing the contact situation.

Esther noticed Jack look up as she came into the room and shoot Stefano a hard look, and Stefano stood and crossed the room to her. He looked tired, but his eyes locked hers and he stood close, his face trying to find a soft smile to wear.

"Look, Esther, I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I'm going to blame the headache, but I'm not really sure why it happened," he said with complete sincerity.

She was surprised. She hadn't really expected an apology. "It's okay. I know everything's tense right now. I shouldn't have pushed you to talk. It's none of my business."

He gave her a smile and said, "Well, we've got more important things to do now. Come on, Jack and I are trying to figure out logistics. You're good at that, so come and help."

[_He distracted her. Two weeks into her job at the CIA and the Caleb Evans, the man sitting next to her, distracted her like a schoolboy. He was funny and had a sparkling smile that seemed always on, and his thick, dark hair was cut neatly and brushed back from his face in wisps. He carried himself crisply, but he seemed always at ease, working on their cases diligently but making the atmosphere fun. She liked him, and he distracted her. After a few weeks he asked her out on a date and she was thrilled. They dated for three months, enjoying each other's company and having an easy time of being together. But then he got transferred and when he moved from DC to Boston they lost touch, knowing neither of them was cut out for a long-distance relationship. Too bad, too. It was the first time Esther had felt secure with someone else since her parents died.]_

She nodded and approached the small table where they were working. They had Stefano's folder with all of his research in it spread out on the table and sunlight was streaming into the room. She remembered something she wanted to tell them from her earlier read through of his material, so she spoke up. "Jack, remember that name we kept seeing on the employee lists, the one who didn't seem to hold any important jobs? Colin Lynch." Jack nodded. "Well, I think I found the pattern with him as I reread the file yesterday. Guess where he's from, originally."

"Where?" Jack asked.

"Cardiff, Wales."

"No," Jack said, looking stunned.

"Yes. He lived there until his early twenties. He's forty now. Twenty years abroad in the US working for various, unrelated companies."

Stefano nodded enthusiastically. "That's it. He's it. Cardiff. What is it, though? I mean, so he grew up in Cardiff and then worked in the US. That can't be unusual in itself. It's just where he ended up working that's unusual."

Jack grinned, "Cardiff is unusual. Connect two unusual things together and you get, well, weird."

They all sat in silence for a minute, then Jack broke their reverie. "Passport. Tickets to Wales. Along the way we try and figure out how Cardiff plays into all of this and get Gwen to do some digging on this guy with local resources."

His voice sounded so strong to Esther. Back to commanding, leading. Doing what he did best. She grinned. "Do we take a commercial flight to Wales?" She turned to Stefano, who seemed lost in thought, and pointed at his bag, "I assume you can conjure up a fake passport to go along with that bag of fake IDs you have sitting there? It won't be hard to get to Wales, right?" She looked to him for reassurance.

He shook his head and closed his eyes and said, "I hate protecting people on planes." He opened his eyes with a sigh, "Confined space, nowhere to run, nowhere to throw anyone." He grinned at her, though, "We'll be fine if we don't get spotted in the airport. That's going to be the trick. They've got to be expecting Jack to try and get back home. They'll be watching."

She nodded, "First things first, though, right?"

Jack interrupted, "Breakfast. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

Stefano and Esther packed up their gear while Jack stepped outside to give Gwen a call and give her instructions. Esther thought of something as she worked things into their duffel. "Stefano, I need to call Rex. You know if we give him Lynch's name then he has more resources than Gwen does at the moment. He might be able to figure it out. Besides, he's probably wondering what the heck's going on with us. It's been a week."

Stefano paused what he was doing. "Do you think it's safe calling the CIA? They're also after you guys, as it is."

"It's safe to call Rex. I've got his private number, and he'll know how to help without bringing attention. He might be able to track this guy down, and that would be invaluable." Esther didn't mention that she just really wanted to talk to Rex. They'd been moving so fast and working so hard to just get to New York that she hadn't thought about calling him except for a few fleeting moments. Now, though, they really needed to solve this and keep moving, and he could help with part of it. She suddenly realized he didn't even know about Stefano. She sighed to herself. Rex was going to _love_ that they let Stefano along. She dug out a phone from the bag, though, and found Rex's number on her phone and dialed it. After a few rings she heard Rex's gruff voice come through.

"Who's this?" He asked, not even bothering with a hello.

"Rex, it's me, Esther," she said with a grin at his gruffness. He was one of a kind, that's for sure.

"Esther! Where the hell are you?"

"We're safe, Rex. We're in New York City, but hopefully we won't be here long. We need to get back to Wales, but we need your help with some research to make sure we're looking for the right thing."

"What about World War Two? He okay?" Rex followed.

"Yeah. He's better. Still a little sore, and the beating he took yesterday didn't help, but he's safe again and better."

"What beating? What's happened?" Rex said, sounding angry. Esther was glad he wasn't standing right there.

"We had a run-in with some of those Family people. They caught him for an hour or so and we got him out after they'd worked him over a little. He's okay, though." Esther waited for Rex to comprehend her pronouns. It only took a second.

"We? Who the hell is with you guys?" He asked hotly.

"His name is Stefano Colosanto – grandson to Angelo Colosanto, but he's not vindictive like the aunt we ran into at the mansion." Esther grimaced as Rex started to protest. "Listen, he's good. He's saved our life at least twice, and he's got some information that has helped us figure something out. He's trained in security and in business, and he knows more about the Families and their work. Mostly their businesses, really. He and I went through some of his information and found something we want you to check for us. A name. Colin Lynch, and he's originally from Cardiff, Wales. We need to know what might have happened in Cardiff twenty years ago that would send him on a journeyman's trip where he worked for various companies in the US that all have ties of some sort to PhiCorp. If you can figure out what the link is, then we'll know what to look for in Cardiff."

There was a pause, and then Rex sighed audibly. "Well, at least Colosanto knows not to let you use your own phone. That's a start. Okay. I'll look Lynch up discreetly. The Agency is still looking for you two, though, and hopping a plane isn't exactly easy when you're being looked for, you know. How are you handling that bit?"

"We're getting fake passports. We'll look for a flight during a crowded time so we can blend in a bit better, and we'll be careful. Stefano's good. Jack trusts him, and so do I."

"Yeah, you two would. Wouldn't surprise me if you end up with a pet puppy you find in the streets by the end of all of this."

"I'll call it Rex if I do," Esther retorted with a grin in her voice. He actually laughed at that one, and they said their goodbyes, agreeing that Esther would call Rex again after they landed in Wales.

Jack finished his phone call to Gwen with a smile. The next time he talked to her would hopefully be in person in Cardiff. He couldn't wait. He was happy with how working with Esther and Stefano was working out, but he was ready to be on more familiar ground with someone who knew him well in a place he knew like the back of his hand. He missed Gwen. He could even stand banter with Rhys at this point, which was a sure sign that Jack Harkness was homesick. At the same time, he was nervous about returning to Cardiff. The short time he'd spent there at the beginning of all of this mess was filled with ghosts, and he was sure it would happen again when he returned this time, especially if they had to do any digging in Cardiff. A mission in Cardiff without Ianto was something he dreaded. He sighed to himself. Got to get through it, though. Work to be done.

After a quick call to his contact in New York, he went back into the hotel room to find Esther and Stefano packing up and laughing. "What's so funny?" he asked with a smile.

"I was just trying to explain Rex to Stefano. I mean, a file about him hardly does his personality justice, don't you think?" she said, grinning.

Jack shook his head with a smile, "No. Of course, I don't know if his personality deserves any justice." Stefano and Esther laughed, too, and Jack continued, "He knows what he's doing, though. Are you going to get in touch with him?"

"I already did. He's going to look into the name for us. I'll call him again when we get to Wales."

Jack nodded. "Okay. Now. I called my contact a couple days ago and so he has all the information. I just called him and he said we can come by any time. So that leaves flights and how we're going to get through the airport."

"Captain, I think the first way we get through the airport is for you to lose that coat. Sorry," Stefano said, pointing at Jack's greatcoat.

"It does kind of give you away, Jack," Esther said with a smile.

"All right, all right. I'm packing it up, though, even if it needs its own bag. It doesn't get left," he grumbled. Great. He was going to have to go through the next day or so feeling naked. Didn't that just figure with the way things had been going? So they agreed that they needed to dress conspicuously and keep their heads down. Esther even agreed to wear a ball cap, jeans, and a sweatshirt, and Jack agreed to lose his braces.

"One more thing," Stefano said. "Esther doesn't sit with us or associate with us the whole trip."

Jack didn't like that one bit. "Why?" All he needed now was to lose someone who was helping him. Vera's death haunted thoughts of leaving Esther behind.

"Look. They're looking for the two of you, right?" Stefano asked. "They know Esther got you out of my great-grandfather's house, and they won't expect you to split up." Jack and Esther gave him a hard look. "I know it's risky, but it's worse to stick together here. We'll get her on the same flight as we are, and we'll stay within a few hundred feet of each other in the airport. But we won't sit together, we won't talk, we won't even line up – queue, Jack," he said with a wink, "together. Nothing until we leave the airport in Wales. Trust me. I won't let her out of my sight, Jack. I'll help her if something goes wrong. But we need to keep our distance."

Jack looked at Esther. She nodded at him. "Okay," he said. "I don't like it, but okay."

They found their way back to their car and Stefano drove them into the city. It was a beautiful, clear day, and the city looked picturesque against the blue sky as they drove in. Jack gave directions and soon they were pulling into an old, German neighborhood with immaculate two-story houses. The street had an air of welcome about it, with tall oak trees leaning over the road protectively, and it was quiet and calm. Jack gave Stefano an address and he pulled the car to a stop in front of a large, old house neat grey paint and dark blue shutters and a wood slat porch with old, wooden rocking chairs sitting on it. Jack pulled his coat on as he stepped out of the car, checked his gun in his belt, and leaned back down to Esther and Stefano.

"I won't leave the porch, okay? If you see me go in, then something's wrong."

Jack watched as Stefano climbed out of the car, tucking his own gun into his belt and leaning against the car so that he could more easily watch the tree-lined street, and then Jack approached the house with confidence. He climbed the wooden steps to the front door, knocked a few times, and stepped back, glancing up and down the block. After a few moments, the door opened and a tall man with a smiling face greeted Jack. He was overwhelmed as he looked at the man standing behind the door, at least twenty years older than the last time Jack saw him but still healthy, good-looking and obviously glad to see Jack.

[_"Jack, come back to bed. I don't have to be at work for a few more hours today. We can take it easy," his lover said, his voice filled with laughter. "You shouldn't run off yet." Jack spun on his heel and leaned in quickly, startling his lover into more laughter as he planted a rough kiss on his lips and then shoved him back onto the bed. "I gotta go," Jack said, "You're not the only one with a job around here, you know. " Jack got suddenly serious, and though they both knew this moment was coming when they first tumbled into bed together a few weeks ago, his voice came out sad. "I'm not coming back. Today's the last day. Today's when it's finished, regardless of how it turns out." Andrew, the young thirty-something who had actually picked Jack up in a bar in a strange role-reversal for Jack, had known that this was just a fling. Jack had made it clear when they'd first woken up together and agreed to meet again and then had another fabulous night together that he wasn't in this for a relationship and that he'd be cutting out of town for good in a few weeks. Andrew had been all right with that. He was an up-and-coming lawyer who specialized in legal document preparation and was headed into a good career as a title court lawyer, and he was amazingly fun. Jack knew when he laid out the circumstances that Andrew would wave him goodbye when he left and not be any worse for wear. It was refreshing. It surprised Jack when he got back in touch with him a few years later for help with some fake documents that Andrew had settled down with a businessman and was quite happy. They'd maintained a friendship over the years punctuated by only a few visits from Jack when he was on a mission and needed some quick help or the occasional email. Andrew knew about Jack's immortality, but only because the last time he'd seen him Jack couldn't keep it quiet since twenty years had passed with no change in his appearance. _]

"Andrew. It's good to see you, handsome," Jack said with a grin. His tall friend, who now had pepper-grey hair to go with his emerald green eyes, stepped out on the porch and embraced Jack warmly.

"Jack! Still beautiful, even with the black eye and cut. Jesus, what happened to you?" His gravelly voice asked.

Jack shrugged, "Nothing I won't shake off in a day or two," he said keeping his arm around Andrew's shoulder. His throat felt tight seeing his old friend and knowing he couldn't stay to enjoy some rare company with someone so easy to be around. There were never any strings with Andrew. No deep feelings, just fun. He had to leave quickly, though, and he was suddenly angry at the circumstances. He felt his voice hitch as he asked, simply, "Do you have the passports I need?"

Andrew looked at him with a critical eye. "No time, right? You're caught up in this Miracle mess, aren't you, Jack?"He asked, perceptive as ever.

"Yeah, so I gotta run. I'm sorry. Really sorry," he said, his voice sounding forced. Andrew seemed to recognize Jack's desire to stay, and he embraced Jack again, running his hand down the back of his head. It felt comfortable, familiar, and easy, and Jack's eyes filled unexpectedly.

Andrew pulled back, but didn't break the embrace, "Come back," he offered, "Okay? Just get through this mess and then come back. David would love to see you, and you could stay a few days. Rest. Right?"

Jack pulled back and grinned as Andrew held out an envelope and Jack accepted it. "Okay. I'll really try and take you up on that. It's really good to see you, and I owe you big time for this," he said, holding up the envelope.

Andrew nodded, "Yes, you do. So come back as payment. And be careful in the meantime."

Jack smiled and leaned over and gave the older-looking man a long kiss, pouring his desire to stay into it. "I will. Goodbye, Andrew." And he turned on the porch and without looking back he descended the steps and climbed back into the car. Stefano climbed in as well, and they headed toward the airport.

Jack tried to brush off his encounter with Andrew on the ride to the airport, knowing he needed to focus, and knowing that a trip back to see Andrew and David later would work as a nice reward for himself if they managed to stop this madness. He closed his eyes and used some focusing techniques he knew and by the time they got to the airport he had pushed his emotions to the back of his mind. They entered the airport about an hour later and maintained distance from each other, a safe distance, but hopefully conspicuous. Stefano was the one who bought the tickets, finding a flight to Cardiff that left a couple hours later and would have them there late in the night. He found Esther and gave her the ticket and a quick hug of reassurance, and then went to Jack and they headed for the gate. They only had two bags between them, and Esther had one, so getting through the security gate was easier than expected. Esther did a good job of keeping several people between them in the queue, and when they got through customs and into the boarding area of the flight, Stefano and Jack marveled at the ease with which all of this was unfolding. Jack figured they'd pay for it later, somehow.

Soon they stood at the gate for the flight to Cardiff. This was where Stefano could really feel the pressure. The trip out to the Captain's contact was amazingly smooth, and the fact that it was residential helped a lot. Not many people, no way for their pursuers to guess that they'd be headed there, and quick. Even though Stefano could tell that the visit with his contact had shaken the Captain, he was at least efficient about it. The trip into the city and to the airport was equally easy, and the flight they'd found was practically perfect in its timing. They wouldn't have long to mill about the airport, and would be in Wales before the next morning. These were all good things.

The gate for the flight to Cardiff was not a good thing. This was where they'd be found, if they were to be found. Stefano had actually convinced Jack to buy a classy black Stetson fedora in the gift shop, and he, himself, had a ball cap similar to Esther's. They didn't look like they belonged together, but now they were in the place where they'd be looked for, and it was confined, and it was sparse, none of which pleased Stefano. He was tired, too, and he was angry at himself for letting himself get to feel this way. He needed to be alert, and so an energy drink purchase at the same gift shop Jack found his hat was something he hoped would help. The people milling about the gate seemed innocent enough, tourists and businessmen by the look of it. None of them gave anything away, and Esther kept her distance as instructed. He got distracted for just a moment as he thought of how good at all of this Esther kept proving to be. He was amazed when they started boarding the plane and nothing dramatic had happened. He had booked Esther toward the middle of the plane and he and the Captain toward the back, so he could keep an eye on everything. They found their spots and settled in. Before long they were getting the pre-flight speech and film, and then twenty minutes later they were airborne.

It was a six hour flight to Cardiff, and Captain Harkness fell asleep next to him quickly. Stefano kept himself awake by cataloguing everything he could tell about the other passengers, running through scenarios in his head about getting jumped here on the plane, and generally observing the situation. Four hours into the flight he finally let himself relax a little, and it occurred to him, in a very surreal way that he was returning to Cardiff with the Captain.

_["I'm going to have to escort him back to Wales one day," he said as he sipped a coffee in a shop his sister had dragged him to. She nodded, "True. Won't that be fascinating, though? I mean, you've learned everything about him, you admire him, and then you get to help him get home. That can't be bad." He shrugged and stayed quiet for a minute. "I wonder if by that time I won't really want to see Wales again. I mean, I don't like it much anymore as it is. Add to that the fact that he'll know about all of us by then; he'll know me. Tell me that's going to make any trip a good trip." His sister reached over and clasped his hand, "You'll have saved him. That will make it a good trip."]_

Stefano wasn't so sure. He was glad they were almost to Cardiff. He knew it made the Captain more comfortable to be getting back to his home turf, and they were inching closer to the end of all of this, which was good. However, he had a foreboding feeling in his stomach the closer they got to the Welsh border, and it got worse and worse the closer they got. He had a suspicion that this was where everything was going to change.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Not to keep criticizing MD, but I never liked making the story so big and around the world. So my story is small. I hope that's okay with all of you, because what I liked about the original TW was how small it was. That held appeal for me, making it more about the people than about the place. Besides, who doesn't love Cardiff at this point? Thanks to soclarose and random ruth for their kind reviews of the last chapter. I appreciate everyone who is still reading! I think we're only a few chapters from the end. **

The flight was quiet even though the plane was full. Stefano stayed alert the whole time, somehow. He attributed his alertness to the jittery feeling that got worse and worse as they approached the Welsh border, but he'd take alertness however it came. There was nothing to say that they'd be safer in Cardiff. It was a much smaller city, and all parties knew it inside and out. Staying low would be the norm now until the whole mess was over. So he spent much of the flight watching people and thinking of all the things that might get thrown at them in Cardiff. As the airline captain announced their descent into Wales, he saw Esther pull her ball cap back on. He'd teased her a little about it; it just didn't seem like her. He held his tongue when he almost blurted out that she looked gorgeous in anything, however, even though it was more than true. After several long conversations in the car and at the various hotels, he realized as he watched her get ready for the landing that he might have found a friend in this whole mess. She was funny, and she was sharp, spotting things in his file he hadn't noticed and following them through. Her eyes glittered when she got excited about something and when she laughed, and he found himself trying to make her laugh just so he could see it. Here was someone who knew about his past, about his job, and still seemed to relax around him. Everything, as usual, was on hold until the mission was over, but he swore to himself as he sat there on that plane that he wouldn't let her drift away if they made it through this chaos alive.

[_"You've got serious commitment issues, Stefano," Elizabeth retorted angrily when he again refused her offer to move in together and make things more serious. He liked her, he really did, and he tried to spend as much time with her as he could when he was in New York City, but his life was not meant for a serious relationship. How could he explain his trips to Cardiff without lying? How could he leave her for such danger and for even more danger when the Families finally made their move? It didn't seem fair, and he wasn't willing to lie to anyone close. If he took things more seriously then he'd have to lie, and he refused. So he brushed her off and let her drift, and, to her credit, she drifted away.]_

The plane finally touched down and Captain Harkness woke up next to him and they silently gathered their things. The plan was simple at the moment. They'd avoid any contact with each other but all would take the public bus to the area of the address Gwen had given them, and then they'd come together there and see what they had, each of them knowing the address in case they got separated. Stefano watched the Captain and Esther very carefully as they exited the plane and made their way through customs, noticing how they both did a great job of looking calm and knowing exactly where to go. He also noticed the crowd in the airport and scanned it constantly, looking for anyone suspicious. It was when they got on the bus that Stefano realized that someone had found them.

He'd seen him at the airport, and when he got on the same bus, Stefano became suspicious. He was a tall, blonde, muscular man dressed in a suit, and he was watching Captain Harkness like a menacing hawk. The bus was crowded, and Stefano let him get off the bus before he did, and Stefano actually turned away from Esther and the Captain and stayed behind, as if looking at a bus schedule for another ride. The man in the suit began to approach the Captain, and so Stefano dropped his bag and attacked. They were on an empty street, but he managed to drag the man into an alleyway and he flipped him onto his back on the pavement. The man was trained, though, and he broke into a nasty leer and swept Stefano's legs out from under him, sending him to the street with a thud. Stefano felt a surge of adrenaline, though, and after eight hours of travel he felt a thrill rush through him. He rolled to the side as the man's foot came down with a stomp, and he pulled his knife and slashed the man's leg deeply. The man grunted in pain, but he stepped away from Stefano deftly and backed against the wall of the alley. They faced each other, and Stefano heard a click.

"You've got nowhere to run. I'll shoot if you go for him again," Captain Harkness growled as he stood with his gun pointed at the man's head.

Stefano backed up a little, but knew the man would have weapons. "Put your hands up," he said coldly, raising his knife to the man's neckline. Before the Captain could react, though, the man rushed headlong for Stefano and wrapped him up in a wrestling hold, slamming him against the ground and knocking the air from his lungs. He struggled to pull the needed oxygen in and felt something cold against his ribs and then he heard a gunshot and felt deadweight upon his chest. The Captain pulled the man who'd attacked them off of his chest and Stefano took heaving breaths to get air back into his lungs. Esther rushed over and pulled him to his feet, narrowing her eyes at him as she looked him over. He stood next to her, breathing heavily and looking down at the man who'd attacked them, laying on the floor of the alleyway, unconscious.

"You're hurt," she said, pointing at his shirt. He looked down and then the burning sensation he had on his ribs made sudden sense as he saw blood spreading across his t-shirt that had a three-inch long gash cut into it now. He felt a little lightheaded as he looked, and he felt the gash in his flesh burn even more.

"Come on," Captain Harkness said forcibly, "Let's get over to the safe house. It's just around the corner. Gwen's waiting, and she'll have supplies we can use to get you cleaned up."

Stefano nodded, and they headed back out to the street, Esther and the Captain grabbing the bags they'd left on the sidewalk. Stefano leaned over his and felt the vague burning sensation on his side turn to fire and his breath left his lungs with a whoosh, his knees buckling under him. Harkness caught him, called him an idiot, and threw Stefano's arm over his shoulder. They walked to the door of one of the houses on the empty street, Stefano leaning heavily against the Captain and drawing short breaths through his clenched teeth. He couldn't figure out why everything was so fuzzy and why his legs felt like jelly the closer they got to the house, but Harkness held him upright and he was grateful. Esther was carrying Stefano's bags in addition to hers, but she leaned over and knocked on the door, and a moment later Gwen Cooper opened it, ushering them in with a hug to Esther and Jack. The Captain didn't let go of him, and as the heat in the house hit him his vision swam just a little more and nausea rose up. He felt the grip of the Captain tighten on his arm as he lost any ability to hold himself up at all.

Stefano heard the door click shut behind him and a Welsh accent asked, "What happened?" And then the Captain's voice, "He took a knife to the ribs in a fight when we got off the bus – it's not deep." He felt them lay him down on the couch, but when he tried his voice it wouldn't work. He lay there taking shallow breaths filled with needles, and trying to figure out why he couldn't focus on anyone or anything. Someone lifted his shirt and said, "It doesn't look too bad." And then he felt a prod of the cut and he arched as the fire slid down his side again and his vision that was already foggy went entirely white. "Must hurt like hell, though," he heard Harkness mumble , and then, "Gwen, do you have a med-kit? Can you get it?" Stefano tried again to focus, but the old wallpaper of the walls and the white ceiling was all he could manage to take in. He heard himself breathe and felt each breath in his side, and a moment later a needle poked into his side and the pain melted away. He managed to drag his eyes down and Esther was hovering over him as Jack leaned over his side. He felt her fingers slide through his hair and when she saw him watching her she smiled softly. "Hey, it's going to be all right. The cut doesn't look too bad and Jack's stitching it up for you. You should rest, Stefano." He nodded weakly and closed his eyes. He'd just rest for a few minutes, and then they could figure out what to do next. He was definitely back in Cardiff.

"Is the cut bad, Jack?" Gwen asked.

Jack shook his head, looking at Stefano, laying on the couch and looking so vulnerable. Young, even. The man always had a shadowed look about his face when Jack looked at him but now it was gone in sleep and he looked young, Esther's age and normal. "I don't think it's the cut, really, that's his problem right now," he said gently as he laid his hand on Stefano's forehead, checking for fever and finding none. "He's exhausted. I know he didn't sleep on the plane, he probably didn't sleep much the night before, and I did slam his head into a concrete wall _after_ he dislocated his shoulder a day ago. He's worn out. The fight outside just did him in. Come on, we'll let him sleep." He stood, looking around at Gwen, Gwen who he'd missed and who would help him figure this mess out. He turned to Esther to help her up from the floor, but she shook her head.

"I'll stay with him a bit, Jack," she said, not taking her eyes off of Stefano. "Just to make sure he's sleeping sound."

Jack heard the concern in her voice, the worry. He knelt down beside her again and pulled her chin around to meet his gaze. "He's going to be all right, Esther. He's tired. He'll sleep."

She just shook her head and said, "I know, but I'll stay with him a bit, if it's okay. It'll make me feel better knowing he's really out."

He nodded and stood, turning to Gwen. He strode over to her and put his arm through hers. "Okay, think you can scrounge me up some decent tea? Then you can tell me what you know about Colin Lynch." As Gwen wrapped her arm around his waist to lead him to the kitchen, he felt a twinge of pain in his side where the bullet wound was, a twinge he hadn't felt in a couple of days. That was weird, he thought to himself, but he shook it off and let himself be led into the kitchen. There was already a kettle plugged into the wall and four cups laid out on the counter. Gwen nudged him to sit down at the table in the middle of the room and she filled three of the cups, handing one to Jack and then adding, "I'll be right back," before she took a cup into Esther in the other room. While she was gone, Jack looked around the kitchen, noticing the age of the house, and the odd decorations, Americana-style decorations by the looks of them. Little American flags in frames, pilgrims cross-stitched and framed, Chevrolet ads, Coca-Cola ads, and he even thought he saw a salt and pepper shaker on the stove that were little pigs. When Gwen came back into the kitchen, he asked her, "Who lives here?"

She replied with a grin, "Like the décor? The Stetsons are Americans who just live here a few months out of the year. My mum looks in on the place while they're gone and has a key. They left when the Miracle started so they could be with their family back in the States. It was convenient."

He nodded as Gwen sat down across from him, threw her palms down on the table, leaned forward and said, "Are you really okay, Jack? Really?"

He smiled at the familiar pose, the familiar interrogation in her voice, and the familiar concern in her eyes. He leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his tea before he answered. "I'm all right. Really. A bit sore, a bit tired, but I'm all right." He paused to drink more of his tea – they really did do it better here than anywhere else – and then asked her, "How are Rhys and Anwen? Your dad?" And he saw darkness pass over her face before she answered.

"Rhys and Anwen are fine. He's doing a great job looking after her and my mother. Anwen's just a baby, she rolls with it." Gwen stopped and took a deep breath. "They took my father, Jack."

His heart dropped. "What? You said you had him back?"

"They found him and took him just this morning. They're like Nazis, doing random searches of peoples' houses to find Category Ones. Bastards wouldn't leave us alone, came back twice before they found him, but they did. They took him off like he was already dead, which I guess he's going to be, now."

And Jack heard the venom in her voice and saw the hard ice of fury slip down into her eyes as she spoke and knew that even now she was planning, trying to figure out how to get him back. He leaned forward and took her hands. "We'll get him back, Gwen. We'll find a way."

She shook her head. "You know, Jack, all I really want is for him to die a dignified death. Not incinerated like a prisoner of a death camp, not degraded and forced to die." Jack watched as she wiped tears from her eyes, "I want him to die when his body gives out on him, not when some bloody administrator decides he's taking up too many goddamned resources. That's all I want."

They sat in silence a few moments, just drinking their tea.

"Are you glad to be back in Wales?" Gwen asked finally, changing the subject away from something they couldn't do anything about right now. Of course, that was a loaded question, too, and Jack took his time answering.

"I'm glad to be on familiar ground. I might have an even chance here, rather than somewhere I don't know. I like that." He saw this as a good segue into Lynch and took it. "Have you found anything about Lynch here in Cardiff?"

She nodded. "Just a bit. He did grown up here, in Cardiff proper, and started University here as well, but he dropped out at twenty. Their records have him studying music, which I found weird since he ended up in the business field, and his classes had nothing to do with business. His parents are wealthy, though, his father a prominent businessman here."

Jack felt disappointed. "There's got to be more."

She smiled, "You didn't let me finish. His father is the key, I think. I can't find much on his background, but do you know what he does?"

Jack shook his head.

"He collects things. You know, he does the auction circuit, buys art, buys anything out of the ordinary."

Jack ran his hand over his face. He wasn't seeing it. "So what? Lots of people collect weird things. I've been known to grab up the occasional action figure myself."

[_"Jack, what are you doing?" an exasperated voice behind him asked. He had just entered a comic book store a few blocks from the Hub and Ianto was following him, shaking his head. "Really? You're going to buy a comic book on the way back from lunch? Are you twelve?" Jack laughed at his lover's tone and whirled around. "Not just a comic book, Ianto. It's a first run Strazynski Green Lantern. It's going to be worth something someday." He paused. "Not that I know that first hand. That would be cheating." Ianto just sighed and shoved him toward the counter. "Get it over with then, will you? Some of us would like to retain our dignity." Jack stepped close to him with a grin and retorted, "You're one to talk. I saw the James Bond action figures still in their original packaging on your bookshelf." Ianto turned a gorgeous shade of crimson and stepped back. "I'll wait for you outside, Jack. When you've finished with your pre-pubescent purchase, we'll head back to work like grownups." Jack just laughed and turned to the counter as Ianto retreated from the store.]_

"Jack, he lives in Cardiff and collects weird things. Don't you think he might have found something at some point that the Families might be interested in? Maybe?"

Jack sighed. It seemed like a stretch. "Maybe. How are we going to find out?"

Esther's voice made both of them jump, "Rex may have found something, and I'll bet he might be able to help us get into the guy's business to find out for ourselves." They agreed that Esther should call him again, so she went upstairs to do that, and Jack and Gwen stayed in the kitchen.

"Give me a second, Gwen. I'm going to check on Stefano," Jack said, and he went to the sitting room. The young man was still sound asleep on the couch, and Esther had draped a blanket over him. Jack lifted it and checked the knife wound, noticing that the bleeding had stopped and the stitches seemed fine. Battlefield triage still had some merits, Jack thought to himself. He stood, looking again at the features that reminded him of Angelo, noticing his mouth and his eyes, the different lighter-colored hair, the longer frame. He sighed to himself. The two had the same dogged determination, but Stefano was so tempered, everything so measured, and Jack recalled the man's ability to fade into the background when Jack and Esther got going on something. He wondered what Stefano was like when he relaxed. Jack hoped that he slept for a while, knowing he needed it.

Jack made his way back to the kitchen table, where he found Gwen looking intently at the tabletop. "Found the answer in the wood grain, Gwen?" he asked jokingly. She looked up sharply.

"Jack," she asked, "how far back do Torchwood's records of Rift activity go, if we had access to them?"

Jack thought for a moment, "They go way back. I mean, even to when I first joined on paper records, why?"

"Well, what if something happened twenty or so years ago. Something with the Rift. When Lynch dropped out of school, you know, maybe his father had found something that we could track through Rift activity?"

Jack sighed, "Feels like we're grasping at straws, here, Gwen."

"It's something, though, Jack. Better than nothing, right?"

He conceded. "Okay, but we need access to the Torchwood files, and we left all that set up when we left for Nevada. I can get in remotely, but it will take a while."

They looked at each other. Well, it was something, he thought. So he let her show him to the computer setup in the upstairs office of the house, and he went to work. Esther popped in and said that she'd spoken to Rex.

"He gave me three addresses and security makeup of each place. Looks like the Lynch family has a few offices here in Cardiff, and none of them too hard to get into. He also found something else."

They called Gwen up and Esther continued, "The Lynch family did originate in America, with Colin's great-grandfather immigrating over here in the late twenties. They also have businesses under pseudonyms all over the world – Rex traced the name to several key businesses, including PhiCorp. He thinks Lynch may be a Family name now, which would make Cardiff even more important than we thought. This could be the place, Jack. This could be the key. Whatever this "Blessing" is, I'll bet it's connected to Cardiff."

Gwen's eyes lit up, "Jack. What if the "Blessing" is something they found here? Something they found when the Lynch family immigrated, something they've kept over the years and dealt with right here?"

Jack grinned, "Okay. Maybe. Let me go through our old records and see if I can find anything. You two get some rest."

"You need it, too, Jack."

"I know. I'll set up a search and then sleep a little bit. If this _is_ the place, then we all need rest."

Esther followed Gwen as she showed her a spare bedroom where she could sleep for a while, and when she saw the bed she realized how sleepy she really was. Sleep on a plane wasn't worth much.

"Thanks, Gwen," she said with a smile.

"Esther," Gwen returned, sitting herself down on the edge of the bed and gesturing for Esther to join her. "You really trust this Stefano bloke? Still?"

Esther smiled, "I know you're worried about him, Gwen. I understand. But I do trust him. He's saved our lives, he has good information, and he, well, he's spent his life getting ready to keep Jack safe."

"A bit dodgy itself, if you ask me," Gwen retorted.

"Yeah, I thought so, too. I still don't entirely understand. He says he wasn't forced into it, though." She paused, "But Gwen, you should see him when he's around Jack. There's nothing dodgy about it. He would do anything to keep Jack safe, and you can see it in his eyes. The other day when he knew Jack thought he betrayed him – his cousin kidnapped Jack from us and made it seem that Stefano played a role in it – when he knew Jack thought that was true, you should have seen him look at Jack. It was devastation. The very thought that he'd betray Jack was heartbreaking for him, I could tell. And he would have gone through a whole army to get Jack back, I know it. You'll see, Gwen. You'll see when he wakes up and his eyes follow Jack's every move and it's not wrong or dodgy or creepy, it's just what he's here to do. It's what he wants to do, and he does it well."

Gwen sighed, "Okay. I do trust your judgment. I just find it a bit weird. Now get some rest. I'll wake everyone in a bit."

Esther smiled as Gwen got up and left the room, understanding the woman's concern. She lay down on the bed, though, and had a hard time falling asleep.

[_You're devoted to your sister, I can tell," the manager of the daycare where Esther placed Sarah's girls said to her. Esther just nodded. "Do you know a lot about how the girls are taken care of at their home?" The woman asked. Esther was confused, "What do you mean? Sarah takes care of them. She just needs help with logistics sometimes." The kind-looking woman smiled at Esther. "Yes, she does. Are you taking care of the costs of daycare?" Esther nodded, "I'll be paying it. Sarah is helping, but please contact me if there are any issues, financially." "And what about if there are issues with the girls?" the woman asked. Esther was confused, "Are there issues?" The older woman replied, "Well, Lizzie is refusing to cooperate at snack time and lunchtime. I thought you should know what she keeps insisting," the woman said softly. Esther had a sinking feeling. "What?" The woman replied, "Well, she keeps saying she's not going to eat what we give her because it might be poisoned. Her mommy says not to trust anyone giving you things. She won't let us give her anything to eat or drink." Esther sighed. She'd have to do more deprogramming of her nieces, it looked like. The woman leaned forward, "How old are you, my dear?" Esther was taken aback, "I'm twenty six. Why?" The woman smiled, "Well, it seems that your devotion may become more than just helping with logistics. I hope you are up to it." Esther nodded curtly. "Well, I do appreciate your concern, and I'll try to reason with Lizzie and Sarah, but otherwise, just please contact me if there's anything financial to deal with. You should talk to Sarah about this sort of thing, not me." The woman looked down at the desk and replied, "I did. But Sarah told me her daughter's sense of caution at such a young age was to be admired." Esther shook her head, "I'm sorry and sighed. I'll try to help. Thanks." And she left the office, knowing that this sort of thing was probably just beginning. Devotion was good, but not easy, after all_.]

She woke up a few hours later when Jack leaned over and grinned, "Come on. We're going undercover to find 'the Blessing.'"


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Here we go. After this we have the climax and the denouement to get through and then the ride is over. I'd love it if you'd let me know what you think! Thanks again to all of you still reading. Reviews make me happy, even concrit ones (I love concrit, ****really****!). . . **

Esther scrubbed her face and brushed her teeth and changed into clean jeans and a blouse before heading down the stairs to join Jack and Gwen. She felt refreshed after some sleep, though she had a brief wish for a good eight hours to come along soon. As she descended the stairs, she noticed that Stefano was still asleep on the couch; it looked like he hadn't stirred at all. She went quietly to the kitchen, where Jack was actually standing at the stove cooking some eggs.

"Really, Jack? You cook? That's something I didn't expect," she said sarcastically.

He laughed and he turned from the stove to flash her a grin. "A couple hundred years and I can do about ten things well, and eggs are one of them." He paused, "Coffee's not one of them. Gwen made some, though, if you'd like. Not the best I've had, but it'll do."

"Oi," Gwen said, entering the kitchen behind Esther, "You keep expecting anyone to make coffee as good as Ianto's coffee and you're going to go through your very long life disappointed, Jack." She looked at Esther, "Ianto could work magic with a coffee machine. We all got more than addicted."

Jack chuckled and turned back to the stove, "He couldn't do eggs, though. Burned them dry every time. Nobody's perfect," he mused quietly.

Esther sat down with a cup of coffee at the table, "Are we going to let Stefano sleep?"

Jack shook his head and turned back to her, "I thought you should go wake him up."

"Oh, okay. Do we have a lead?"

"Yep, go get him, okay? We'll talk over some food."

Esther stood and went back to the sitting room. She knelt down over Stefano's sleeping form, regretting the need to wake him up. She knew the sleep was doing him good, but she also didn't want him to miss anything. He'd be more than annoyed if he did. She ran her fingers gently through his messy brown hair, trying to wake him gently. "Stefano? Can you wake up? Come on, we need to talk to you." She continued talking softly until his eyes fluttered open and he gave her a dazed look. "Hey," she said. "Jack's got some food for us in the kitchen, and he's got some news. Can you join us?" He nodded wordlessly and tried to sit up, wincing, but managing. He ran his hand over his face and he focused on Esther after a moment.

"What news?" He asked.

"I don't know, come on. Let's get you some coffee and see what he's got. Are you up to it?"

"Yeah, I think so. Sleep felt good, thanks."

She grinned, "We all got some, and you needed it."

She helped him up from the couch and kept a steadying hand on his arm just in case. They went in and Gwen stood to greet them. Stefano held out his hand.

"Stefano Colosanto, Mrs. Williams. It's good to finally meet you," he smiled as he shook her hand and Esther chuckled as Gwen reacted to his greeting.

"It's just Gwen, sweetheart. Are you feeling better?" She asked with a broad smile.

"Yes. Sorry for passing out on you earlier. Not the best impression to make," he said.

"How's your side?" Jack asked without looking around.

Stefano shrugged and looked over at Jack, "It's sore. Probably won't heal until we get the world back to normal, but it's better than a bullet wound."

Esther pulled him gently into a chair and gave him a cup of coffee, saying, "Come on, Jack, what did you found out? What is this 'Blessing'?" Her curiosity was killing her.

Jack and Gwen sat down at the table with them and Jack pointed to a stack of paper in front of him. "Well, Rex helped, and between the two of us we figured two important things out. One, Lynch is definitely a Family name. They've been in and out of all sorts of businesses over the years, with one continuing constant: innovation of technology and medicine. It's a trend. Two, their businesses here in Cardiff are the oldest, and one of them is most curious. It's a biotech business and a lot of the weird stuff Lynch has bought over the years has been inventoried in this particular business. And," Jack paused dramatically, "the acquisition of one piece in particular coincided with the first report of 'The Blessing,' and it happened just months after I was imprisoned in New York."

"How can you know this?" Stefano asked incredulously. Esther wondered the same thing.

"Look, here," and Jack pointed to a particular scanned newspaper document. It was nothing more than a book review. "Rex dug into this because of the plot of the story fit what happened to me. A pulp novel about a guy who couldn't be killed and was tortured in the basement of a butcher shop. Nothing special, but convenient plot point. Then, look," he pointed at another document, one of Torchwood's records that had been scanned in years ago, "It's a note that there was heavy Rift activity and Torchwood wasn't able to gather everything that had fallen through – they were overwhelmed. It happens. Remember Eugene and the eye?" he said to Gwen. She nodded and he continued, "Torchwood suspected a local collector of grabbing a few things of his own. Lynch. It happened just about a month before my torture. Then Lynch took a trip to the US."

"Wait," Stefano said, pointing at the book review, "Connect the book review and the Rift activity again?"

Jack nodded, "The book was published soon after my torture, and I didn't mention one plot point. They collected the odd man's blood and sold it to a weirdo who paid them for it and the main characters became rich off of selling the blood."

Esther saw it, "So whatever Lynch found in that Rift activity had Jack's blood added to it to make it work. We talked about your DNA being slightly different. An artifact that needed 'different' DNA in order to work makes some sense."

"They called the sale of his blood a 'blessing' in the book. We find that artifact and we have it," Jack responded. "They did it. They found something and created a planet-wide Morphic field with my blood. We have to reverse it."

"How?" Stefano asked.

"I don't know. But first we need to figure out what the artifact is, to make sure." Jack retorted. "The four of us will go in, see if we can find it, and get it out of there. Once we have it, we can run some tests to try and figure out how to counter it."

Esther listened and wondered for a moment if it were almost over. If they figured this out and got the artifact, then things would go back to normal. Unfortunately that meant a lot of people would die, including Rex. She thought of him when she first met – she could have done without him at that point – but she thought he'd grown since then, and to lose this chance at doing the right things didn't seem fair. He'd gone from a cold-hearted man who profited from others' misery to someone willing to help from a distance, unconcerned about glory or profit at all. That had to count for something. She hoped it would. She decided she needed to do one thing for Rex before they went in after the artifact, and she spoke up to tell Jack.

"Jack, I need to tell Rex our plan. You know, if we figure out how to stop this, then he's probably going to die," she said somberly. They all looked at her in surprise. She continued, "I know he's a jerk, but he needs to know we're going in. If he has any chance at preparing for the reversal, he needs it."

Jack leaned over and surprised her with a kiss to the forehead. "You're right. Call him and then we'll move forward."

She nodded and went back upstairs to call Rex, to warn him that they might, perhaps, be nearing the end.

_["Goodbye, Dad," she said tearfully as she stood over her father's grave on the strangely sunny afternoon of his funeral. There weren't many people there, just a few of her father's co-workers and drinking buddies and Sarah. Sarah was quiet and her father's friends gave both girls a hug before they all departed the cemetery, leaving Sarah and Esther standing alone next to his grave, which was next to the one for their mother. Sarah stood with her arms crossed looking angry. Esther leaned into her and asked, "Do you think we'll be okay?" and Sarah surprised Esther by putting her arm around her and giving her a brief squeeze. "I'll take care of you, Esther. Just you watch. They didn't think I could take care of you, but I'll prove them wrong." Esther felt tears running down her cheeks and she looked up at the blue sky and white clouds above them, drinking in the sparkling fresh air. She thought of this moment whenever she got angry at Sarah later, knowing that Sarah was just doing her best. She tried, and Esther knew that_.]

While Esther went upstairs to call Rex, Jack watched as Stefano sat on the couch and carefully went through his bag of weapons, passing a gun to Gwen and Jack, and packing his own along with a knife and an odd tool pouch he clipped to his belt. Jack had an odd flashback to when Ianto collected all of John Hart's weapons before letting him into the Hub that awful day.

"You ever rob a bank with all this?" he asked flippantly.

Stefano didn't even look up from loading the gun he was working on. "Thought about it once or twice, thought I'd save that achievement for after this whole thing with you was over."

Jack laughed and checked his gun before he stood up from his chair. His side burned suddenly and he drew a quick breath. Gwen noticed.

"You all right, Jack? Maybe this is too soon for you."

Determined to shake this off, he replied, "No. I'm fine, Gwen. A little soreness won't be anything. I'll walk it off." Jack looked up and saw Esther descending the stairs, wiping tears from her eyes. He crossed to her, concerned. "Are you okay? Did you get hold of Rex?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I'm all right. I talked to him." She paused, drawing a shaky breath. "He told me something I didn't know."

"What?" Jack asked, leading her to sit down on the couch next to Stefano, who had paused in his work.

"Did you know that Vera set something up before she was killed, not long after Rex left her care at the hospital? She set it up so that when this stuff ended he'd have a donor waiting." She looked at Jack, whose eyes got big.

It was Gwen who answered with awe in her voice, "A heart donor? You mean he might survive this?"

Esther nodded. "He said he'd been in touch with the hospital and he got everything set in motion so that when we do figure this out he'll have more of a chance. She saved his life before she died."

They were all quiet for a moment before Jack said, "She was good at saving lives." They all nodded and kept working to prep themselves for their breaking and entering. Jack called them all back to the kitchen table when they were armed. This was the hard part.

"Okay," he said, and spread some new papers across the table. "This is the schematic Rex sent me of the building that holds the biotech materials. The most likely place for something this important is someone's office that's especially secured or in a lab where they could monitor it. There is only one main lab -"

Esther cut him off. "Jack, Rex told me two other things. He did some more digging and found out what happened twenty years ago to make Colin Lynch quit school. His father died. It was apparently very mysterious and devastating to the family. Colin quit school and tried to step into his father's businesses."

Jack stood straighter, and asked, "Okay. What was the second thing?"

"That biotech business we're about to try and break into? It hasn't sold a thing in twenty years."

"What do you mean," Gwen asked harshly. "It's just a front business?"

"Exactly. It's not doing anything productive. It doesn't have a staff, it doesn't produce anything," Esther returned.

Jack clapped his hands together, and was filled with a surge of energy. "That's it. This is it. This is the place they're keeping whatever this is they're using." He stopped as realization dawned, "What if the father was trying to stop this from being used? What if the son was manipulated and used to start whatever this is after the father died? That might explain why they waited so long to do all of this. Maybe the elder Lynch was smart, and the son was stupid?"

"Sure sounds like it to me," Stefano mumbled, staring at the plans.

"Esther, do you mind calling Rex one more time? I want to talk to him. Gwen, you look this over and you three come up with a way in. Best entry point, what we'll need, the like. I'll be back in a minute." He was excited. This could really be it.

[_"Ianto, NO!" Jack shouted, but he was too late. The gun fired, and the terrified look on Ianto's face intensified as he realized that Jack was trying to stop him from firing. Jack looked to the ground in front of Ianto where the alien was laying prone on top of Tosh, and the alien was dead. Tosh wriggled out from under it, shaking, and she fell against the wall of the alley where they had found the creature. Jack rushed to her side and made sure she was okay, even though he knew she would be. He looked back to the alien, a humanoid, but smaller than humans and with orange-ish skin. As soon as Jack had rounded the corner and saw it on top of Tosh, he knew what it was and what it was trying to do, and it shouldn't have been killed. Ianto turned to Jack as he knelt over the alien, turning it over and closing its empty eyes. "Jack, why did you try to stop me? It was hurting Tosh!" Jack looked up at him wearily. "No, it wasn't. It was communicating with her. It's telepathic and harmless, and it was just trying to talk to her. It's a Tring, and they can't communicate any other way, which is why it went for her first. She was smaller than you, easier to get to." Ianto's face fell, the gun dropped to the ground with a clatter, and he knelt down next to Jack. "Oh, god, Jack. I'm sorry! I thought it was hurting her. It leapt out of nowhere and she wasn't responding to me." They both turned to Tosh, who was sitting against the wall with tears running down her cheeks "I'm sorry, Tosh," Ianto said. She nodded, and Jack helped her to her feet and passed her to Ianto, who helped her to the nearby SUV. Jack lifted the Tring and carried it to the back and laid it across the floor of the vehicle. They rode back to the Hub in silence. Jack found Ianto sitting alone on the steps of the med bay a few hours later. He sat down next to him silently. "Jack, I killed an innocent creature. I don't know what to do." Jack looked up at the ceiling. "I know. You'll get through it, though. We've all been there. We've all made mistakes about aliens. It's hard to know sometimes. You were just trying to protect Tosh, and you couldn't have known. Don't be too hard on yourself." Ianto looked at him incredulously. "It could have a family of its own, Jack. It could have been brilliant, giving her answers to all we want to know! How can I not be hard on myself?" Jack chuckled, draping his arm around Ianto's shoulders. "I know you will be. Just try not to let it last too long, okay? First of all, if it was here then it probably didn't have a family. They're a tribal species, and they don't usually travel alone. We don't know why it was here; maybe it was in trouble. In the end, Ianto, we just don't know, and this is over. If we wondered about what we could have learned from the aliens and artifacts that end up here, we'd drive ourselves mad. I have things in that safe over there that might cure cancer, but we'll never know because we can't translate the instructions. I might have shot the alien that could have brokered world peace, but we'll never know. We do what think is right in the moment, we try to fix anything we mess up, and then we move on. Don't be too hard on yourself. You haven't been in the field much, and you were worried about your friend. That's a good instinct that you don't want to squelch. Negotiate when you can, send them home peacefully if possible, but defend your family and friends. That's all I can ask of you."]_

The key to this goddamned Miracle was probably sitting in Cardiff under their very noses since the 1920s and they didn't know it. That would figure. So he climbed the stairs to get the phone. He had one thing to ask of Rex, and he hoped like hell Rex could pull it off.

Stefano liked Gwen. Well, he felt like he already knew her when he met her, but it was better being in the same room with her. She seemed no-nonsense, and he tried to reconcile the woman he was watching load a gun with the woman he'd seen when he was watching over the Captain. She followed orders, but he also saw her challenge the Captain a time or two in the field. He knew she was fiercely devoted to her family, or she never would have brought the Captain to his aunt last week. He also knew there was chemistry she had with Captain Harkness, and that they worked seamlessly together in their efforts. Standing beside her now felt easy, it felt secure. Stefano knew Gwen was a force to be reckoned with, and he was glad of that now.

"If it's a front, it may not have much security," Gwen offered as a start.

"Possibly, but if it's housing this artifact that caused the Miracle, you can bet they'll want to guard it well," he countered.

"So we use a back door, right?" Esther asked, new to this bit of the game.

Stefano stayed silent for a moment before pointing to the plans. "Look. Two of us go in the front; two of us try the back. The ones who go in the front take the lead."

Gwen responded quickly, "No. We don't split up. There're only four of us and splitting up only makes for more possibility for problems." Stefano conceded and then the two of them proceeded to work through logistics of the building, guessing which room might hold what they're looking for, and where they could meet up once they were inside. They talked again about the consequences, and what they might find.

Gwen brought up the potential Stefano was afraid of. "We might have to kill Jack."

Esther looked up sharply from the files she was scanning. "Kill him? Because of his blood?"

"Well, Yeah," Gwen replied. "I mean, if they collected his blood to start it, and they're trying to kill him now, aren't they trying to stop him from reversing it?"

"You mean his blood is like an on/off switch for whatever this is?" Stefano posited.

"Yeah, but if we manage to turn it off this time, then we'd best blow the thing up before someone tries to turn it on again," Gwen retorted angrily.

"But would he come back and survive?" Esther asked.

Jack reentered the room and stated, "Well, I hope so, but I suppose I've had a pretty good run if I don't." He smiled, but no one answered.

Stefano didn't want to think about it too hard, but it made sense. The killing the Captain part, anyway. What happened after, well, Stefano couldn't imagine a world without the Captain in it, and he didn't want to.

_["You hero-worship him and I hate it," Leo said, marching into the small bedroom that doubled as an office in their apartment in Cardiff. Stefano was working on few things at the desk, and he had a file on Torchwood spread out in front of him, as well as a few files concerning his other job, a consulting gig he had back in NYC. He was tired and busy, and not in the mood for his brother's tirade. "I do not 'hero-worship' him. I admire him, and there's a difference. He has flaws." His brother's face was worked into a sneer and he leaned over the desk. "Yeah, but you don't seem to care about them. He got our brother killed, Stefano. How can you just sit there working and claim to admire him when he got Jason killed?" Stefano stood, leaning in to meet his brother's anger. "He did not get our brother killed. A crazy alien with a laser gun got our brother killed, and we let him die in the streets. Harkness had nothing to do with it, you idiot." Leo stepped back, an incredulous look on his face. "If it weren't for Harkness we wouldn't be here!" he shouted. Stefano stepped out from behind the desk, " We are not doing this for Harkness, Leo. If we were doing this for Harkness then fuck him! I wouldn't be here! We're doing this for Great-Grandfather and we're doing this for every person out there in that city. I'm not stupid enough to think Harkness is perfect. I just know he can do more good by himself if left alone than any of us could do in a lifetime. Why can't you see that?" Leo slumped onto the couch and put his head in his hands. "He's arrogant and cocky and he doesn't care who gets hurt. I hate him." Stefano sighed and sat down next to his brother. "How could he not be arrogant and cocky, Leo? How could you live as long as he has, seen as much as he has, and not be arrogant? He's saved this city countless times just since we've been watching. Think about how many times he's actually saved it, and maybe even this planet! If he worried about every single person he'd go mad." Leo was silent next to him and Stefano leaned into his shoulder. "Have you seen how he watches his team, Leo? Have you seen him look at Jones? Or Cooper? He loves all of them. They have fun together in the face of all of this shit because of him. Christ, if I weren't doing this, if my life weren't tied into just watching them, I'd want to join them. To be a part of that and have a man like him look at me like that? To respect me like he respects them? I'd do anything to be part of something like that. He's not a jerk. He's just coping." His brother looked up at him, "Is that what you hope, Stefano? That if all of this ends in your lifetime then maybe you'll get to work with him?" Stefano looked away before he replied, "I couldn't possibly wish for that. He's got them. He doesn't need me."]_

Stefano decided to do what he did well: ignore the possibility of Captain Harkness' death. "Look, here's what we came up with for getting in. What do you think?"

The Captain looked over the schematics, listened to their plan, mentioned that his wrist-strap could help them with any electronic locks, and added a final word. "I spoke with Rex. Gwen, I need you to contact Cardiff Police and give them this number. Rex is going to convince them to give us a back up team that will wait nearby for a signal in case we need help. I don't want us going in alone." Gwen nodded and took the number, and a few hours later, after they all had a bit more rest and a meal and went over the plan one more time, they headed into the city.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: So my solution is a bit simpler than a TV show probably would be (okay, a lot simpler), but it's mine. I'm all about the people, anyway. Thanks to soclarose for her kind words and suggestion about a map and outline, and for the fantastic shout-out to this story in The Hub, a fanzine. Thanks to RandomRuth and Veritas65 for the kind reviews. This isn't the end, just the climax. There is more to come.**

Stefano approached the building with a great deal of hesitation. He thought back to the last hour or so and was glad they'd taken some time to just rest.

Gwen and Jack had spent part of the time upstairs together; he presumed they were dealing with the possibility that there could be a horribly bad ending to all of this mess. He and Esther, actually, had done the same. He had been sitting on the couch just resting with his eyes closed when he felt her sit down next to him. He looked over at her and she was slumped back on the couch herself with her own eyes closed, so he leaned into her a bit, nudging her. "Hey, are you okay?"

She looked over at him without moving and then leaned forward, putting her chin in her hand and sighing. "I want everything back to normal, but I don't know what I'll do if that means losing him."

He leaned forward next to her, leaning into her shoulder. "I know. Believe me, I know." He paused, "Of course, I don't know what I'll do _at_ _all_ when this is all over, no matter what. I keep getting this feeling that after today my life will be completely different."

Esther looked over at him and smiled, "That's not necessarily bad, right?"

He almost lost his breath when she smiled at him like that, and he watched as her eyes glittered and she seemed to be sharing all that beauty just with him, and he could only nod in agreement. He looked away quickly because he thought that if he didn't he'd actually drop his jaw as he stared at her, and that wouldn't do. He suddenly felt like the stakes for today just got monumentally higher. She put her arm around his shoulder and they just sat like that for a few minutes. Then she said, in a low voice, "He'll come back. I just know he will. Fixing the Miracle means putting things right and Jack's included in that equation. It just makes sense."

Taking a deep breath, he put his hand over hers and looked at her again, "I hope you're right. I imagine you, Gwen, and I would _all_ be absolute wrecks if something happens to him." He paused and then grinned, "It's what he does to people, I think."

They sat together in a comfortable silence until Jack and Gwen came back downstairs. It looked like Gwen had been crying, but they both had put their professional faces on and Jack was all business. They checked the time, gathered their things, and headed for town.

Now Stefano was on his professional game. He knew full well that this moment was the turning point, that this was what he'd been working for his whole life: help protect the Captain and help him emerge victorious over the Families. He would do it, and he was determined to do it well.

The building they approached stood apart from the other buildings on the block, and it was smaller, older. It was a drooping brick three-story building, and, according to the plans, the first story was where the lab was and offices were upstairs. According to city code, the building had been updated fifteen years ago to meet regulations, but not much had been done to the upper two stories. They were approaching the building on foot from the south and were a block away when Jack suddenly stopped and put his hand to his abdomen. Stefano heard his sharp intake of breath and his face was contorted in agony. Gwen moved to his side, her hand on his arm, steadying.

"Jack? What's wrong?" She asked.

"My side," he said through clenched teeth, his voice unsteady. "It's burning. Like . . ." he broke off, hissing in pain, and Gwen pushed him against the wall of the building they were passing, shoving him down to a sitting position. Stefano looked down the street, trying to see if they were drawing attention. They weren't. He watched as Gwen lifted Jack's shirt to look at the bandaged bullet wound they all thought was healing properly now. It wasn't. Blood was seeping through the bandage as if he'd only recently gotten shot, and Jack paled when he saw it.

"Okay. . . . why would it do that?" Esther asked frantically.

Jack shook his head. "It's been feeling weird since we landed in Wales again. Maybe it's got something to do with this place." He paused, took a deep breath, and looked at Stefano, "Doesn't matter. We have to keep going. We have to do this, and I don't think it's going to matter when we do." He reached out for a hand, and Stefano pulled him to his feet. "Come on," Jack said, not waiting for the others to respond before heading back down the street. Stefano shrugged at Gwen and Esther and turned to follow.

They approached the building and Stefano noted the windows were dark and a "closed" sign hung in the front window. He also noticed there were no security cameras and no sign of anyone inside the front of the building. When he looked at the building made him feel unsettled, like the building shouldn't really be there, like it was out of place and wrong. He followed as they all made their way to the back, though, and there was actually a guard next to the door, and a control panel next to the doorframe. Stefano motioned the others to stay back a moment, and snuck behind a garbage can to get closer. He leapt at the guard from behind and swung him down to the ground in one smooth motion, catching the man completely by surprise. He pushed a stun gun to the man's shoulder, and the guard passed out under Stefano's grip. Jack and the other s approached, and Stefano noticed Jack's breaths coming in short gasps, but he used his wrist strap to scan the control panel next to the door, obviously ignoring his pain. A moment later the door clicked open and Stefano led the way inside.

The hallway was lit by fluorescent lights and it shimmered with the opening of the door. The hallway had an odd glow with the lights flickering against faded green paint on the walls and black and white tiles on the floor. They walked a few feet, Stefano in the lead, and they passed a room where Jack stopped, scanned with his wrist strap and shook his head. "No alien tech inside. Keep moving. The lab is down this hall," and he gestured to a hallway stemming from the one they were in. Stefano nodded and peered around the corner, and he saw two burly guards in front of a door. The lights flickered again; Stefano took a deep breath, drew a tranquilizer gun from his coat, aimed, and fired two shots in succession, felling the men easily. Jack stepped forward again, moving stiffly, and again used his wrist strap to open the door. Stefano stepped in front of him, though, and scanned the room visually before motioning the others to enter.

["_What will you do when it's all over?" His mother asked him one day. He smiled at her and simply said, "Live for myself."]_

Jack stepped into the lab with his colleagues and friends, and he knew right away that this was the place. His side told him, for one thing. The pain was excruciating, as if his blood were being pulled out of his body by a magnet, and he could tell it had soaked the bandage and was running down his leg. It was making him nauseous, and he swallowed bile that rose in a wave as soon as he entered the room. He took deep, heavy breaths to counter the nausea and looked around.

Directly in front of him were two long lab tables with black tops, covered in bottles, tubes, notes, and other lab equipment. To his left was what looked like a supply area, shelves filled with boxes, bottles, and lab equipment. There was a low wooden shelf surrounding this area, setting it off from the rest of the room. To his right was a row of cubicle offices, and he counted six of them stretching the length of the room. At the far end past these cubicles was another door, presumably to another hallway, and pressed against the wall next to the door was another table filled with equipment. It was the glass-enclosed area to the left of the work tables that really drew Jack's attention, though. Floor-to-ceiling glass enclosed a pedestal made of wood, which was centered in the glassed-in area. On the pedestal was a large brown box, with flesh like bumps all over it, and what looked like a control panel covering one side of the box. The panel was blue, and it was pulsating madly, and there was a glowing red field around the artifact. The box drew Jack, and he walked slowly over to the glass wall and stood at the corner of it, across from the low shelf of the supply area and with his hand against the glass.

[_Gwen, it's going to be all right," he said gently as they sat together on the bed in a room upstairs. She took his hand in hers. "I've dealt with you being gone before, you know. You're good at leaving," she said. He chuckled and leaned into her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and smiling as she leaned into his chest, comfortable. He said, "I know. I'm sorry." She sighed, "It's all right. You're also good at coming back." They sat together in silence for a few minutes. Gwen broke the silence and said, "I'm sorry for things I said in the car the other night." He drew a breath. "You were more than upset." He paused and then looked into her eyes, his hand brushing her chin. "You know, you think I keep secrets. You think I don't tell you things you need to know. It's never been that. I __**do**__ keep some things because I've seen the future and I really, really, really can't give it away. I shouldn't even be here, but I love it too much to go, so I have to keep some secrets. Timelines and all that. But Gwen," he said, trying desperately to fill his voice with the earnestness to get her to believe him, "My past isn't a secret. It's just my past, and because of things I've done, things I've seen, I don't want to talk about it. Most of it hurts too much to share. It's __**mine**__, and it's not filled with knowledge that I don't want anyone to know. It's just filled with too much to ever tell any one person, and it's filled with some things that I just don't want anyone I love to see. You have things like that about you that you wouldn't share, but I just have more because I've been around so damned long. I just want to be here, now, and be good." He smiled into her eyes, "You make me good, Gwen. Please just accept me now, right here, without worrying about things I might know or things I might have done a very, very long time ago." She looked at him as tears filled her eyes, and they embraced. He spoke again and his voice was rough. "I never wanted to hurt any of you. I only wanted us to focus on the future. The past is the past, no matter who's involved." They sat holding each other, and when they pulled away, Jack brushed Gwen's tears away with his hand, and leaned in and gave her a kiss before pulling her up and escorting her down the stairs.]_

Now his heart was racing in his chest, his side was on fire, and he drew his gun and looked around. Gwen had stayed close to him, standing there next to him staring at the glass-enclosed artifact. Stefano was ahead, next to one of the lab tables, staying in the center of the room, looking around. Esther stood between Jack and Stefano, staring at the artifact. Suddenly, a voice spoke up and a tall woman with graying hair stepped from the door in the back of the room and approached Jack, stopping next to one of the long tables and smiling.

"Captain Harkness. You came right to us, thank you," she said with a velvety voice filled with arrogance. "We got tired of chasing you and thought you'd like a look at our machine."

Jack looked around the room and saw Stefano tense, and at the same time he saw a man emerge from the cubicle area with a gun, and another man stood up from behind the supply area shelving, also armed. Jack smiled at the woman, noticing her elaborate jewelry and long red dress. She was elegant. "I'd very much like a closer look at your machine, ma'am. Are you going to let me in to examine it?"

She laughed sharply. "Amusing, Captain. No. You were getting difficult, so we thought we'd just wait for you here. Now we'll escort you away from this, and get rid of you. This Miracle is staying."

Jack shot a knowing look and raised eyebrow at Gwen and then at the others. "Gwen, they don't want me around. They're not going to kill me here in this room. They're going to take me somewhere _else_ to execute me. Interesting." Gwen nodded, and she raised her gun and pointed it at Jack. He turned back to the woman and asked, "What happens if Gwen kills me here? Is that bad for you?"

The woman smirked and signaled the two men in the room. They raised their guns and pointed them at Stefano and Esther. "If she kills you here, then she'll be killing her two friends here, as well as everyone out there who is injured but still alive. I believe that includes her father, right Mrs. Williams?" She purred.

Gwen seethed, but stayed silent and she kept her gun trained on Jack. "What's the point of all of this!" Jack asked coolly. He was tired of all of this, and his body was being torn apart by this machine. "There's got to be more to this than PhiCorp making a profit off of painkillers."

The woman took a few steps closer to Jack. "Of course there's more to this, Captain. It's not the profit we're after, it's the _**chaos**_. Chaos creates opportunity. Chaos creates choice. Chaos throws the world out of balance, and the world will need a group of people to step in who are willing to take on the chaos. To smooth things out. To solve the problems. We will be that group, and then we will change the world."

Jack was livid. The arrogance of these people was appalling. He kept his eyes on the woman, but said to his friends, "I think we could use some chaos here. Right?" And then as if Stefano could read his mind, he and Jack shot at the same time and blew the glass wall into a shattering mess. At that moment, Jack and Stefano both saw the man in the supply area target Esther, and as Jack heard the gunshot, he saw Stefano throw himself in front of Esther, and then crumple to the ground as a bullet pierced his shoulder. Jack shot that man, and then he heard two shots ring out and Jack saw Gwen shoot the man emerging from the cubicles as he fired on a ducking Esther. His shot missed Esther, but Jack saw Stefano jerk again as he lay on the ground, as Gwen's shot felled the man and silence draped the room. After just a breath, Gwen and Esther looked at Jack. In that split-second, Jack knew this was it, and that he might not come back. He felt a rush of warmth fill his body, and the woman behind him shouted, "No!" Jack winked at Gwen and Esther, their eyes filled with tears and they both shot Jack several times. He felt the first bullet rake through his chest, another ravaged his stomach and then his world went dark.

As Esther pulled the trigger and fired her gun two times, she could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. This had happened so fast, but it had all made perfect sense. Now Jack was lying on the ground and something extraordinary was happening. She and Gwen had shot him a total of five times, and he was crumpled in a heap on the floor, his coat sprawled out behind him and his eyes still open, but they were lifeless. It made her feel sick. His blood, though, from the bullet wounds, was getting sucked out of him, as if the artifact five feet behind him was a magnet, and it was fast. Esther watched in horror as the blood rushed through the glowing red field and the field changed to blue. The blood then drenched the object, and a low, pulsing booming sound emerged. It got louder and louder and Esther had to cover her ears and she closed her eyes, fearing the worst, but after a few seconds the booming changed to a hum, and as she opened her eyes again she saw the blood get sucked into the machine, as if the machine had opened all of its pores to pull it in. One second the machine was blood red, the next second the blood was all gone. With a woosh, the now-blue field disappeared entirely, and the box sat, insidiously silent, on the pedestal.

Esther heard a sound behind her, and she turned to see the woman rush out the back door of the lab. Esther wasn't concerned with her, though, knowing the small, backup group of police had instructions to surround the building once they went in, and to come if they signaled. The woman would be caught. It was the scene at her feet that made her hand shake and then drop the gun she was holding. She drew in a hissing breath and felt her eyes go wide. At her feet lay Stefano, blood pouring from a wound in his upper thigh and seeping from the wound in his shoulder. A few feet away Gwen sank to the floor and pulled Jack, riddled with bullet wounds but not very bloody, into her lap and cradled his head. Glass was spread across the floor and around all of them, and the two men they'd shot were still. Esther sank to the floor.

"Gwen," She said, as she turned Stefano over so she could see his wounds. Gwen didn't hear her, so focused on Jack as she was. "Gwen!" Esther shouted, probably too loud, and Gwen looked up sharply from a silent Jack. "Call for help, Gwen. Call an ambulance, please!" Gwen looked at Stefano with fear in her eyes and quickly pulled her phone from her jacket. Esther looked back down at the wounded man. He lay on his back, pale, and she heard his breath come in short, sharp spurts, like he couldn't get enough air. When she looked at his leg, her stomach churned. There was no neat hole in his pants seeping blood. No, the fabric had been ripped away with the force of the shot, and the wound was messy, exposing sinew and bleeding so much faster than it should be. She knew immediately that she needed to tie it off with a tourniquet, so she quickly pulled her belt off and wrapped it above the wound, pulling it tight. When she pulled, she was startled by his broken cry of pain, and when she got the belt secured, she moved into his view and pulled her jacket off, pressing it against his shoulder. She pressed with one hand and stroked his cheek with her other hand, trying to stay calm, but wanting to scream for the ambulance as if that would make it come faster. She heard the police burst into the room behind her, but it was as if their voices and footsteps were traveling a long tunnel to get to her.

_[They had been driving in silence for about an hour while Jack slept on the last leg to New York City, when Esther looked over at Stefano and watched as he drove the car. He was beautiful, she thought suddenly. Fine features, olive skin, and thick brown, almost black, hair. His whole face lit up when he smiled, and that happened far less frequently than she wished. When they did talk together it was easy. Esther thought it was easier to talk to him than she'd found with anyone she'd met in a long time, but she was also comfortable in the silences, knowing that it was never silent because of anything she'd said or done wrong, it was just that they didn't feel the need to fill the air with meaningless conversation. She was comfortable around him, and he was gorgeous. These were both good things, she thought with a smile.]_

Esther leaned over Stefano's face, whispering "It's going to be okay. Please hang on," over and over again like a mantra. Her voice sounded strange to her, desperate and filled with tears. She suddenly realized that she might lose Stefano _and_ Jack today, and she thought the scene was becoming more and more Shakespearean than she ever thought it could. She saw Stefano's eyes struggle to open, and when he managed to fix them on hers, she tried to smile through her tears. "Hey," she said softly, and her breath hitched when she saw his eyes fill with tears of pain. She leaned into his face and said, a bit hysterically, "Stefano, what were you _thinking_, jumping in front of me, you idiot!" He had saved her, she knew it. He had saved her at a risk to the whole mission; he should have been focused on Jack, but he had saved her, instead. Her hand ran through his hair again, and she saw him open his eyes and fix them on her clearly.

"Smartest thing I've ever done," he said softly, through a shuddering breath and a weak smile, and she thought her heart was going to break all over the floor.

A moment later he said, "Esther, it hurts so much," his voice weak and hoarse, and he squeezed his eyes shut tightly and his breath turning to gasps through clenched teeth.

"Shhh," she said, running her hand against his cheek again, feeling his skin as it got colder and clammier and as fear shuddered through her own body. "Lay quietly, Stefano," she whispered, "Help is coming. They'll get you patched up, they'll save you."

His head shook just a bit and he was still drawing short pained breaths.

His eyes suddenly opened wide, "The Captain, is he alive?"

She looked over at Gwen and at that very moment she saw Jack's body jerk in Gwen's arms and she heard a gasping breath. Gwen was crying and through her tears Esther heard her laugh and saw her pull Jack into a tight embrace. Esther filled with joy just for a moment as she realized that Jack was alive again, but the joy disappeared when she remembered what that meant for Stefano and Rex and everyone else who was critically wounded. She had a quick thought for her sister, hoping that she had never managed to get herself volunteered for the camps.

Then she looked back down at Stefano, lying there pale and bleeding in her arms but looking at Esther with anticipation, and she saw the desperate need in his eyes, his desperate need for Jack to be all right. "He's alive, Stefano, he came back. It's all over," she said tearfully, and she watched Stefano's eyes close tightly again, and listened to his ragged breaths. She looked up at Jack, who was looking around the room with a dazed look in his eyes, taking in the police officers, the lab, the glass, and, finally, Esther and Stefano, and she saw his face fall when he saw her holding Stefano in her arms. He untangled himself from Gwen and rushed over to Esther, sinking to his knees, running his own hand over Stefano's face.

"Stefano, look at me," he said, and Esther could hear the anguish in his voice. "Please, just for a minute, kid, come on."

Stefano took a deeper breath, ragged and sharp, and she saw his struggle to open his eyes. He did, though, and Jack leaned in closer. "You stay with us. You hear me? I've got plans for you, Stefano Colosanto, so you have to stay with us," Jack said forcefully, commanding.

Esther smiled as Stefano nodded weakly, but then his eyes shut, and she knew he had passed out this time. She sat stroking his cheek and Jack leaned back into Gwen's embrace until a minute later they heard the ambulance crew run up beside them. Esther stepped back, and so did Jack and Gwen, letting the medics work.

Jack pulled Esther up into his arms, reaching for Gwen at the same time, and Esther felt enveloped in his coat and arms and warmth, and they stood together, all three, watching the crew pull Stefano onto a stretcher, and she let Jack hold her, making her feel safe for just a few moments.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Whew! This one turned out long. There's also a part of me that wonders if it's a tad on the soap opera side through here. I hope you enjoy it, though! Thanks for the very kind words many of you keep offering! Oh, and the chickens are for RandomRuth.**

Jack watched as Stefano was carried out on a stretcher, and he pulled Esther and Gwen into an embrace, needing to feel them pressed against his body with their life and potential that hadn't been extinguished, unlike the young man they'd just watched get carried away, pale, drawn, and barely alive. Jack had a sinking feeling about Stefano's chances; he had seen the wound on his leg and how much blood he had lost just in the few minutes before the ambulance arrived. More blood on Jack's hands.

He shook himself mentally. No, this one would _not_ be on his hands. Stefano volunteered for this, trained for this, seemed to live for this; his injuries or death should add no guilt to Jack's already heavy conscience. Of course, if he used that as a definition, then neither should Jack feel that anyone's death who had willingly worked for Torchwood was on his hands, but he couldn't deny feeling that they were. As he stood thinking about the difference between Stefano's devotion and his former team, he was startled by this realization.

He looked down at Esther and knew that she would also have guilt over this if Stefano didn't live. It was obvious that the bullets that had felled him were meant for her, and Jack felt that he knew her well enough by now that he knew guilt would combine with the devastating loss of a potential friend to create havoc in her heart. He leaned over and said gently, "Go. Go with the ambulance and stay with him. Hurry, and we'll come after we get things settled here. Call us on Gwen's phone if you need to." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and nodded, then ran off toward the exit.

Jack and Gwen turned to survey the damage in the room. A police officer approached them with a phone out in his hand.

"Sir, my commanding officer wanted me to tell you that they're sending another ambulance to deal with these bodies, and that we'll secure the building for the authorities."

"What authorities?" Jack asked quickly.

"Sir, apparently UNIT have been called in. They're expected to arrive in the next hour or so."

Jack looked at Gwen and gestured to the artifact. "We have to get that thing out of here."

"Sir, they asked that the room not be disturbed. I think they expect to clear everything out."

Jack nodded and flashed a grin at the young man. "Sure. We won't disturb the room. We're just going to take that with us and they can deal with everything else."

Jack knew that if UNIT got their hands on this alien tech that the potential for future disasters was too great. He didn't trust them one bit. He ignored the protests of the cop in front of him and turned to the object. He ran a scan of it and saw that it was certainly dormant right now, not putting out any sort of energy, and the control panel seemed dark.

"Gwen, can you have Rhys come with a van?"

She looked like she was about to tell him something, but then she nodded and pulled out her phone. A few minutes later Jack was carrying the object down the hallway and outside to the back of the

building, just the way they came in. They had to sit and wait for about twenty minutes before Rhys arrived with the van. Rhys embraced Gwen quickly and desperately, and Jack watched as they looked at each other, understanding the unanswered question in Gwen's eyes.

"I got in."Ryhs said, his forehead pressed against Gwen's. "I got in and I got to sit with him and he died about forty minutes ago. I was with him when you called, Gwen." He paused and looked over at Jack and then back at Gwen. "He went so peacefully, Gwen. It was quick and quiet, and I spoke to him the whole time and told him you loved him." They stood together for a minute, tears streaming down Gwen's face, and Jack stood back, trying to give them the space they needed. But UNIT would be here soon, and he wanted them gone when that happened.

"Gwen," he said quietly. She turned and he pulled her into another embrace of his own, whispering, "I'm sorry, Gwen. I'm so sorry he got caught up in this mess and I'm sorry you lost him."

She didn't answer, just nodded and stood back, wiping her eyes. "Come on, boys. We need to get rid of this monstrosity."

Rhys and Jack loaded it into the back of the van quickly, and Rhys drove for a few minutes just to get away from the police and UNIT. He pulled to the side of the road after a bit, though, and Jack leaned forward. "Rhys, we need a place that's run-down. Preferably a house or building that's already condemned. Do you know where we could go?"

Rhys thought for a minute. "Gwen, remember that Estate out north of town? They're tearing it down to put in a hotel. We could use one of those houses."

Jack nodded, "A condemned house is perfect. Go."

They pulled up next to an old house that had a porch that was falling apart and the front door hung off of its hinges. They climbed out of the van.

"Jack, how do you know we can destroy it?" Gwen asked.

"It's organic tech. It should burn. Besides," he added, "I'll scan for alien tech when we're done, and there shouldn't be a trace." He looked at them solemnly, "You two need to go a block away, though. I don't know what messing with it is going to do, and if it has any sort of protection on it then it might get touchy about us trying to destroy it." Gwen started to protest, but Rhys nodded and he and Jack carried the thing into the house. "Just a block or two away, Gwen. Stay in sight of the place in case I need you, but I don't want you in a blast radius."

They left Jack in the room, and he knelt down over the device. There was only one piece of metal as far as he could tell, and that was the panel in the front. He looked around the room and found a large construction nail lying on the floor. Perfect. He used it to pry the panel off of the device. There was no reaction from the machine, which was good. He wondered if it was a one-time-use sort of device. He put the panel in his pocket and examined the device again. He really thought the rest of it was biotech. He couldn't see anything that wouldn't burn. So he set the room on fire with a lighter he carried, setting papers, cloth, anything that would burn on fire as he left the house, and then he stood back on the other side of the street. It took a few minutes, but as he watched, the fire finally found its way to the heater in the utility closet of the house, and the entire thing exploded. He ducked, waited for a bit, and then used his scanner for alien tech. Nothing was left of the house, although he swore he saw a few chickens running around the yard. The machine had been destroyed, though. He'd have to answer to UNIT for this if his other plan worked, but he could handle that. He'd come back to the house in a few hours to make sure there was nothing left for anyone to find and it would be the end of whatever the hell that had been.

Rhys pulled the van up next to Jack and he climbed in, wiping his face with his hands as he leaned back in the seat. Gwen sat in the middle and asked, "You think it's gone?"

"Yeah. I have the only metal piece and I'll go check in a while to make sure, but my scanner couldn't pick anything up." He sighed. "Let's get out of here. Rhys, can you drop me at the hospital?" Rhys nodded and Jack turned to Gwen again. "Go be with your family. I'll call with any news. Go rest. I'm going to take you somewhere tomorrow, okay? So get some rest now."

Rhys protested, "Taking her somewhere? I don't think so, mate. She needs to be with her family!"

Jack replied, "Rhys. I want you tomorrow, too. It's not dangerous. We're just going to get you two your life back, so you should probably come along." He paused and then said with a grin, "Wear something nice. A suit, a skirt, whatever, but not work clothes. It'll help." They looked at him with questions on their faces, but he wouldn't say anything more. If he got the appointment he thought he might, then he wanted it to be a surprise.

Rhys dropped Jack at the hospital, and after a hug from Gwen and after making two phone calls, he found his way into the emergency room. He found Esther sitting in a chair against the wall, looking dazed and far away. She didn't even notice his approach. He knelt down in front of her and put his hands over hers.

"Hey," he said softly.

She looked at him, finally, and smiled softly. "Hey. You're back."

"Yeah, how is he?"

She sighed, "Still in surgery. No news is good news, right? He's been in surgery for more than two hours."

"Did they give you any idea of what was going on?"

"No, I just had to convince them that I was the one they should talk to, but Torchwood took care of that."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, knowing she didn't have any ID proving she was with Torchwood.

"I told them I was with you, Jack. Captain Harkness with Torchwood. The staff just, well, they actually cussed a little bit. I'm curious about your past encounters with them," She said with a smile.

"Yeah, I can't say I'm forgettable when I need something here. You convinced them, though?"

"Yes, they said they'd send the surgeon out when there was news." She looked up at the ceiling and then back at Jack. "They lost him on the way here, Jack."

"What?"

"He stopped breathing, responding, and they had to resuscitate him. They acted like it was really hard to get him back." Tears filled her eyes, and Jack pulled her into his arms on the floor. They sat together for a few minutes and then she wiped her eyes. They both found chairs again and they sat in silence for at least another two hours, Jack making the occasional coffee and tea run to the cafeteria and managing to make a few phone calls before a doctor appeared to talk to them.

"You're with Stefano Colasanto? You're Torchwood, I'm told," He said as he held out his hand to Esther. She stood and shook it and the surgeon looked at Jack. "Are you Torchwood as well, sir?"

"Captain Jack Harkness," he said, standing as well and shaking the doctor's hand. "How is he?"

The doctor sounded tired, "He's out of surgery and we're moving him to a private room now. He's stable." He wiped his hand over his face. "The fact that there were two wounds to deal with made it difficult, and he lost so much blood that a lot of our primary job was just to get him stabilized enough with a transfusion. The leg wound was the most concerning because the bullet nicked his femoral artery and lodged itself in his bone. We got it out, though, and I repaired the artery damage. If he survives then he'll be facing one more surgery to deal with some minor muscle damage and at least one round of physio, probably more. The other bullet wound was actually sneaky, and ended up causing the most trouble."

"What do you mean, sneaky?" Esther said.

"Well, when we appraised it we knew it had just gone clean through, which is good." The doctor sighed. "As it turns out the bullet grazed the lung, and he wasn't getting enough oxygen. We repaired the damage to the lung, but I've put him on a respirator for the moment while we ensure that the repair worked. Basically, we stopped the big stuff, but his body has been so traumatized in the last six hours that his ability to counter anything is greatly diminished. We'll have him in the intensive care area on the respirator while we continue the blood transfusion and try to get his blood pressure stabilized."

Esther leaned into Jack. "Can we see him? Sit with him?" She asked.

The doctor nodded. "I'll send the nurse out for you as soon as we get him settled in the room."

They nodded, and Jack and Esther sat back down. The nurse came out soon and they made their way to the room. When they walked into the room, Jack stopped as Esther went to Stefano's side.

Jack hated what hospital rooms did to people. They diminished them. Suddenly Stefano looked very small. Laying on that bed with the tube in his mouth for the respirator, the IV lines running from both arms, and the hospital gown laying limply on his body he looked so very small. He looked weak, and the way that a hospital bed could take a man who could defeat six armed men on his own to save another man's life a few days ago and make him look like he could shatter into a million pieces at any moment was just depressing.

Esther held Stefano's hand as he lay unconscious in the hospital bed, and she felt Jack's gaze upon them both. She felt so mixed up that she didn't want to talk to anyone right now, even Jack. She was so relieved that Stefano was still alive, but watching them try to resuscitate him in the ambulance had turned her own blood to ice and she wasn't sure she'd yet recovered. She knew she'd sat in that waiting room for two hours until Jack arrived without noticing anything, without hearing a word of anything around her. She spent those two hours replaying the ten minutes in the lab and the ride to the hospital, even though she was sure that wasn't terribly healthy. As she looked at his still form in this bed, she saw him looking up at her and telling her it was the smartest thing he'd ever done, over and over and over. How could that be? She held his hand to her own cheek and felt Jack put his hand on her shoulder.

"We should call his family," she said, distantly, as she stood there thinking she was grateful that Jack's influence had bought her visitation rights. "They need to know what happened."

Jack nodded and Esther saw him go to the bag of personal items that had followed Stefano to his room, including his cell phone. Jack pulled it out of the bag, turned it on, and sifted through the phone directory. When he found the one he was looking for he turned to Esther and asked, "Do you want to call them? I don't know that my voice would be very welcome right now."

Esther looked hesitantly at Stefano and heard Jack move back to her side.

"I'll stay with him," Jack said. "Go call his parents and I'll stay here."

She nodded and took the phone out to the lobby area. She was nervous, but she knew his parents needed to know, so she pushed 'send' and waited.

A moment later a woman's voice answered the phone. "Stefano! We've been waiting for hours to hear from you!" she said.

Esther could hear the relief in her voice, and she shut her eyes while saying, "Ma'am, this is Esther Drummond. I was travelling with Stefano and Captain Harkness." There was silence on the other end of the line and Esther took a deep breath.

"Is he dead, Ms. Drummond?" the woman asked tightly.

"He's alive, Mrs. Colasanto. He's in the Cardiff A&E and he just came out of surgery." She tried to sound reassuring, but she guessed she wasn't having much success as there was another pause.

"What happened?" the woman said, sounding resigned.

"We found the cause of the Miracle, Mrs. Colasanto, and when we went to destroy it Stefano was shot twice," and her breath hitched, "and he's now in critical condition in their intensive care. He's suffered damage to his left thigh that was significant – a nicked artery and bone damage – and another bullet caused minor lung damage. They've just brought him out of surgery." Esther felt her throat tighten as she described the damage to Stefano's mother.

"Are they confident in his recovery?" his mother asked.

"Well, they've put him on a respirator because of the lung damage and they're giving him heavy transfusion because they're having trouble getting his blood pressure stable after the blood loss from the leg wound. They said," and she had to pause for a breath here, "they said that he's terribly weak and the trauma has wreaked havoc on his system. I think someone should come, Mrs. Colasanto."

There was silence for a moment, and then Stefano's mother replied, "Of course. And my other son lives in London right now. I'll send him over right away and I'll be on the soonest flight. Thank you for calling, Ms. Drummond."

Esther sighed and replied, "No problem, ma'am. I'm sorry for not having better news."

"Tell me one more thing, Ms. Drummond, if you would," Mrs. Colasanto said quietly. "Is Captain Harkness all right? Did he survive all of this?"

Esther smiled, "Yes. It was thanks to Stefano a couple times over that he did survive, and it seems he's back to his own normal now. I think it's all over."

She was surprised at the reply, "Well, not until the Families are defeated. But at least this part of the nightmare is over." After a pause, Mrs. Colasanto added, "Goodbye, Esther. Thank you again for calling, and please look after my son until his brother, Leo, can get there."

"Of course. Goodbye," Esther replied softly. She put the phone back in her pocket and headed back to the hospital room, to find Jack standing at the side of the bed holding Stefano's hand tightly. She stood next to Jack and put her hand upon his back, rubbing small circles on his greatcoat. "Any change?" She asked, too hopefully.

He shook his head, "No. A doctor came in, said they're still pretty worried about his blood pressure, but there isn't anything else they can do right now." Jack looked up for a moment, eyes closed. "They said another surgery, even exploratory, would probably kill him, the shape he's in right now. So they're focusing on the transfusion, hoping that will stabilize things."

_["Did you mind it," Esther asked him during one of their long hours in the car, "The going back and forth between New York and Cardiff? Didn't you wish for stability?" He thought for a minute and then answered, "Sometimes. After I'd lived in New York for a while I had some friends, even tried the girlfriend thing once or twice," he said with a smile, "and leaving for Cardiff seemed like a chore that kept interrupting things, especially after my brother Jason died." Esther thought for a moment and said, "I have to say, I lived in DC all of my life and I wondered what living other places would be like, but I do like the stability of knowing everything about one place. Did you know Cardiff?" He looked over and nodded with a gleam in his eye. "Yes. Well, I knew Cardiff in terms of what was there, how to get around, that sort of thing. We had some down time there and I enjoyed it, but not much. Cardiff became work and New York became play. Not a bad thing." "Yeah," Esther replied with a smile, "I hear New York City's a pretty cool playground." He nodded and proceeded to tell her all the best scenes that he knew in the city, and she watched his face light up as he spoke of a place he obviously loved.]_

Esther pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and sat down. "I spoke to his mother. She's getting a flight as soon as possible. She also said his other brother lives in London right now and she'd call and have him come over." She looked up at Jack, "She asked about you. Whether you were all right. She was glad you were, but she said nothing was over until the Families were defeated."

Jack sighed, "Yeah. That part bothers me, of course."

"Which part, Jack?"

"Which part? Her being glad I'm alive or the warning about the Familes? Look, Esther, you know I didn't ask for this," and he gestured to Stefano. "I think this campaign to help me is a little on the crazy side, myself, but I am grateful. It's not my fault, though, that the whole Colasanto family worked on my behalf for so long. I feel bad that he's hurt, and I blame myself for _that_ situation, but not for the whole past. I didn't _ask_ them," he said, anger filling his voice.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I wasn't blaming you, either. Really. I just don't want you to blame yourself."

"It's easy to blame myself for Torchwood getting people killed," Jack said quietly after a moment. "Anyone leading anything bears some responsibility for the fate of those serving with them. I do blame myself for not thinking this whole thing through quicker, for not being fast enough with my gun in that room. I do carry guilt over my people's deaths. But I don't 'get them killed' or hurt the way Rex said I did."

"Stefano helped me realize that, Esther. He let me see more clearly the fact that when someone follows me into danger, they're not getting dragged. They're following, and that's their choice. He helped me see that in a way I always missed or was able to ignore before. He dedicated his adult life to helping me without me ever knowing. That's _not_ my fault." Jack paused and Esther could see him trying to hold control of his emotions. "It wasn't my fault that Ianto, Owen and Tosh," his voice broke for a moment, "they followed me, too. It was their choice. I never forced them." He took a deep breath and repeated, "I _never_ forced them."

He looked at Stefano a moment longer, and then he turned without a word and left the room. Esther thought about going after him, and she knew she'd upset him, but she wasn't going to leave Stefano alone. She was staying, and Jack would be back. She sat for a long time, just watching. It was odd, she thought to herself after a long while. She wasn't tired, she wasn't bored. She was just waiting for him to get better. That was all.

Jack went and found his roof again. He left Esther at the hospital because he needed, suddenly, to be on his roof again. The chaos of emotion as he explained what Stefano had done for him threatened to overwhelm him in the hospital and he needed to escape. He stood with his coat wrapped tightly around him and his collar pulled up against the wind and he looked out at the city he once loved. He wasn't sure if he still loved it; even looking down on it from his safe place he saw the ghosts, felt their presence, turned every corner in the hospital looking for Owen, turned every corner on the streets looking for Ianto, and looked at every phone, computer, monitor expecting to see Tosh sitting there. Even after all of this time Owen and Tosh were still ghosts. He wasn't sure if he could ever banish them; he wasn't sure if he could live here again and not feel his heart clench in fury and rage every time he turned a corner looking for Ianto. But as he stood on that roof looking down at the beauty of this place he realized that he had to try. He had the potential for a very good team here, and he hoped he'd learned from some of his mistakes.

_["Jack?" Ianto's voice cut through the rain and Jack turned, slowly, from the edge of the roof he was standing on. He saw Ianto standing there, under an umbrella, looking worriedly at Jack. "Jack, you've been out here in the rain at least forty minutes. We need your help downstairs, okay?" Jack hesitated. "Gwen and I need your help, Jack. Please." Jack nodded and followed Ianto to the stairwell and shook his head to get some of the rain off. Ianto pursed his lips and said, "Why were you out there so long?" Jack just turned to head down the stairs and said as he passed Ianto, "It washes the dirt away."]_

He thought about Stefano and Esther and Gwen, all trying to survive this chaos, to find themselves again after such a world-changing experience. He could take care of Gwen and her family; he knew that clearly and would begin in the morning to follow through there. He thought he could take care of Esther, too, if he could convince her to stay. That probably hinged on Stefano's survival, though, and Jack closed his eyes and felt the wind swirl around him as he hoped that the young man survived with more hope than he thought he had left. He wanted Stefano on his team, too, and knew that starting with Stefano, Esther, and Gwen was as good of a start as he had with Torchwood Three before. A good start was all he could guarantee, and then he'd go from there. He looked down one more time at his city, thought with a smile of Ianto and Tosh and Owen, and turned from the roof and descended again, heading back to the hospital to check on Esther and Stefano.

When he entered Stefano's room an hour later, he found Esther where he left her, and she turned when he came in.

"Jack," she said, standing to meet him, "Are you all right?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I just needed some space. Sorry for running out."

She smiled at him with that patient smile she seemed to have perfected. "It's okay. We're all kind of scrambled right now, I imagine." She took a deep breath. "Speaking of scrambled, I finally got a call in to check on Rex. He came through surgery about an hour ago in New York, and apparently it went well."

Jack was grateful for that news, and he found a spot to sit in the corner of the room.

At that moment they heard a voice in the hallway, and then a man entered the room behind them. When Jack turned to see who it was, he felt the floor shift under his feet and his stomach drop as if he were falling off of a cliff. He swayed in disbelief. Standing in front of him was a ghost, a ghost of Angelo Colasanto, and he was angry and vengeful judging from the look on his face. Jack sucked in a deep breath and the ghost spoke.

"Get out, Captain. Just get out," he said as he stepped threateningly toward Jack.

Esther stepped between the two men quickly. "Whoa. You don't get to just step in here and kick him out. Who are you?" and she looked closer and said, "You're Stefano's brother, aren't you? What are you doing?"

"Getting this man out of this room and preferably out of my brother's life. I'll say it one last time, Captain," he said without ever even looking at Esther, "Get the hell out of my brother's room and leave him alone."

Esther retaliated, "Stefano adores him! Why would you kick him out?"

Leo glared down at Esther, "Because he's the reason my other brother is dead and I'm not going to let him stand here and watch my last brother die."

"What?" Jack asked, looking at Esther. "What's he talking about?"

Esther sighed and Jack couldn't believe what she told him. "Stefano told me his oldest brother was killed in Cardiff. It must have been while the three of them were working to protect you one night. Of course, Stefano blames himself for the whole thing, not you."

"That's because Stefano is a self-loathing idiot most of the time," Leo retorted. "He's been _blinded_ by you his whole life and you can't do anything wrong, even when our brother died."

"He's laying there because of me, not Jack!" Esther burst out hysterically, and Leo's attention snapped to Esther. Jack saw the anguish on her face. "He risked the whole thing for _me, not Jack_. Those bullets were meant for me, and nothing had been solved yet! We could have failed because he _**stopped**_ being blinded by Jack," and Jack heard her voice get quiet and sure, "If you're angry because he's laying there and could die, then it's me you're angry with. Me or your great-grandfather, but _**not**_ Jack." Esther stormed out of the room and Jack looked back at Stefano's brother, who looked as if he'd been hit.

Jack had watched this whole interchange as if from a distance, hearing a different voice come from Angelo's face and finally seeing the side of Stefano's family that he knew must have existed, the angry and bitter one. He was floored by the revelation about Stefano's other brother, but he also didn't have the energy for this fight. He didn't blame the young man in front of him, even if he knew, as Esther pointed out, the anger was misguided. If Stefano woke up then he would take care of this. Jack would watch over Stefano from a distance if it meant respecting his family's wishes, so he simply nodded and stepped around to the door.

"We'll wait in the lobby. If you'll come give us an update when you can, we would appreciate it."

He went to the lobby waiting area and found Esther sitting there, her face in her hands. He sat down next to her.

"He's a bastard," she said without looking up.

"It's understandable. Really. He's angry and hurt, and Stefano's family gets priority at this point and that's how it should be. You'll get back in to see him as soon as everyone cools off and I'll get to see him when he comes around." Jack thought for a moment and then leaned forward and took her hands, "Thanks for defending me, though." She looked up at him and smiled. He said, "Listen, it's late and you've been here all day. Let's go back to the hotel and let his brother – what's his name, anyway?"

Esther smiled, "Leo."

"Let's let Leo stay with him tonight. Had you heard from the doctor lately?"

"He came by while you were gone earlier and said they hoped to try and take the respirator out in the morning if his blood pressure stays stable tonight."

Jack nodded. "There's nothing wrong with leaving for a while to get some rest, okay? Come on. I'll drop you by here in the morning on my way to take Gwen and Rhys to our appointment."

She reluctantly nodded and they went back to the hotel for the night.

The next morning Jack did drop Esther off with instructions to call him as soon as she knew anything new about Stefano's condition, and he drove to Gwen and Rhys's house to pick them up. He'd watched the news at the hotel and knew traffic would be a mess where they were headed, so he told Esther it would probably be that evening before they were back.

Jack had rented a sedan for the drive, and Rhys climbed in the back seat while Gwen climbed in the front. Gwen was wearing a skirt and blouse and had taken the time to put makeup on and she looked beautiful. Jack was distracted, even, until Rhys cleared his throat from the back seat and said, "So, where are we goin'?"

Jack turned and replied, "To get a pardon for you two and to get Torchwood reinstated - London," and he watched as Rhys and Gwen looked at each other incredulously before he grinned and pulled away from the curb and onto the highway headed out of Wales.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: So folks like the feisty Esther? Me, too. Thanks to RR, Veritas6.5, LadyDeb, and soclarose for their kind words last time. And to Talia35 who comes up with new ways to flatter me more than I deserve. I'm also glad the chickens were a hit. I sit here wearing my new Torchwood t-shirt hoping that you all (and more of you who are being quiet out there) enjoy this chapter as well! Oh, and the idea of Jack and the Queen hanging out is, I'm pretty sure, a bit of fanon I picked up somewhere from some brilliant author….**

It was a silent walk back to the car park and their car after their hour-long meeting, and Jack could feel the tension rising. After they climbed in the car and Jack started the engine, the explosion happened.

"Jack Harkness, the next time you take me to see the Queen you'd bloody well better tell me we're going there beforehand! Look what I'm wearing! Look what Rhys said to her!" Gwen practically shouted.

Jack chuckled and Rhys protested, "Hey! It wasn't that bad!"

"Rhys! You told her you'd no idea she was that beautiful and that the tabloids make her look like an old biddy!"

"That's a compliment, Gwen!" Rhys huffed.

"You don't talk to the Queen about her looks, much less say that she usually looks like an old biddy!"

Jack just laughed, and then Gwen lit into him, "Jack, seriously. A little preparation would have helped!"

He nodded, "Sure. Fair enough. Then you wouldn't have slept at all last night and you'd probably have come off sounding like every other idiot who goes in there trying to impress her. I just wanted her to meet the real you."

"The real me," Gwen muttered, "And the real Rhys?"

"Okay, that might have been a judgment error on my part," Jack acknowledged.

"Oi! I'm sittin' right here, you know!" Rhys protested.

"And sweetheart you're wonderful," Gwen said as she patted Rhys' cheek, "But politicking might not be your strong suit."

"Hey," Jack said, actually feeling Rhys was getting the short end of the stick here, "He did fine. She'd rather just chat anyway. Some of my best times with her have been wandering the grounds just chatting."

"How often have you met with her, Jack?"

"Well, technically she's our only boss. I first met her when she was just a teenager." And he looked off into the distance with a small smile, "Feisty. She wanted to know everything. We even corresponded for a while before she got caught up in everything."

"You've known the Queen since she was a teenager?" Rhys asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Jack grinned, "I think she fancied me a bit when she was younger."

Gwen slapped his arm, "You are so full of it, Jack." But then she got serious, "Thank you, though. Really."

Jack nodded, "It never made sense that they sent you in the protection program. You never did anything wrong. It was pure paranoia. Now you can go wherever you want." He paused and looked at her seriously, "Of course, I have one more meeting this morning before we head back to Wales and I was hoping you'd come with me."

"Where?" Gwen asked.

"UNIT headquarters. We're going to draft the new Torchwood charter. I'd like you to be a part of that."

Jack watched both Gwen and Rhys as the words sank in. Gwen grinned and Rhys scowled. Jack felt Rhys' reaction deserved the most attention.

"Rhys. We're going to set it up differently this time. More people. More support. Less secretive."

Gwen leaned in, "Jack, more people? How many?"

"Well, I'd like to be able to have at least six field agents, one medic, and two support staff plus myself. Ten people. That would allow rotation of field agents, and less on everyone's shoulders." He paused and said wistfully, "In my efforts to keep us from getting too much like One before I think I kept us too small. We were strung out too thin. It was too much and it made it too dangerous."

_["Jack, we're worn out. We need more people," Ianto stated after a particularly harrowing night where he and Gwen both reacted too slowly and Jack was killed saving them. Ianto was now rubbing Jack's shoulders to help with the usual headache. "No." Jack was adamant. More people meant more liability with secrets, more potential for corruption. It was too dangerous. "Jack, you're being protective. I understand that," Ianto went on, undeterred. "No one wants us to get big. But at least two more people to take us back up to where we were with Tosh and Owen. That's only logical." But that meant replacing Tosh and Owen, and Jack always lost his focus whenever he considered doing that. Tosh and Owen died because of a vendetta against Jack; it wasn't even Torchwood that got them killed. To replace them meant putting more people in danger because of him, too, and that's what Jack really hated, so once again he deflected the conversation by leaning back into Ianto's massage and making sure he let Ianto know how much he appreciated it.]_

They were all quiet for a minute, considering Jack's words. Gwen spoke up, finally, "I'll go. I'll at least help you get set up. Rhys and I will discuss it later as to whether I stay active. Fair?"

Jack nodded. "Fair."

Jack drove them to UNIT headquarters then, an indistinct building near Charing Cross station, and he parked and checked his phone, hoping for a text or message from Esther, updating Stefano's situation, but there was nothing. He grimaced, hoped that no news was good news, and he and Gwen entered the building, leaving Rhys to wander on his own for a while. Jack was not looking forward to a meeting with UNIT heads, but he knew that if he didn't have their support then they'd just make everything miserable. He had the backing of the crown, and that was really all he needed, but he wanted to do this right this time, and starting on good terms with UNIT was the right way to go.

Two hours later he was regretting his decision and seething as they exited and found Rhys so they could head back to Wales.

"Jack," Gwen tried, as they climbed in the car.

"What," he snapped.

"You really shouldn't have lost your temper like that. They were only trying to offer help with finding the right people. They weren't trying to tell you what to do."

He scowled, "Yeah. Probably not. But them wanting a say in the approval of the staff is unacceptable, and the Queen already gave me final approval anyway, so they were just trying to overstep again. It's what they do."

"True. But you got what you wanted. Right? Maybe not the budget you wanted for the HUB rebuilding, but we can be more efficient with the space and make it work," Gwen suggested.

"The more they tie our hands with budgetary concerns the more dangerous it is for us. You know that." He sighed, though. "But I suppose for now we make it work, and then we reexamine it."

They were quiet for a few minutes when Rhys piped in, "Well, it is exciting that you get to rebuild. That's somethin' I think."

Jack grinned and nodded. Rhys was right. It was something. Now it was after four in the afternoon and they were headed back to Wales. Jack checked his phone again and finally had a text message from Esther. It made him smile as well.

_"Respirator out. Parents arrived. Doctors pleased with vitals, Stefano still sleeping. Leo apologized and mother insisting I stay with them in the room. Come when you can." _

Esther was jittery as she entered the hospital after taking a break for a late lunch and to text Jack. She was pleased that Stefano's parents seemed so nice and welcoming to her, but she was getting impatient for Stefano to wake, and kept thinking that the longer he was out the worse shape he must be in. She just wanted to see his eyes, alive and sparkling again. She just wanted him to wake up. She recalled her morning after Jack dropped her at the hospital.

She had been uncertain of Leo's reaction when she reappeared at Stefano's room, but her nervousness changed completely when she approached his room and saw two other people sitting in the room with him. Before she could consider whether she should turn and leave and just check with the nurses rather than going in, the woman in the room came out to greet her. She was a tall woman, with light brown hair with a bit of grey, and sparkling green eyes. She looked fit and classy, but not overbearing. She smiled broadly at Esther and Esther saw Stefano in that smile. "You must be Esther Drummond," She said in a confident, accented voice. Esther could only nod. The woman held out her hand and Esther shook it as confidently as she could. "I'm Maria Colasanto, Stefano's mother. Thank you for looking out for him."

Esther nodded, "How is he this morning? I wasn't sure if I should come in since your son, Leo, didn't think we should be there last night."

Maria shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Leo was being an overprotective older brother. I apologize. He told us what you said," she added quietly, and Esther found her own eyes dropping to the floor. "He told us Stefano saved you before the situation was resolved. Is that really true?"

Esther nodded, "Yes, ma'am. I don't know what he was thinking. Gwen and I were able to handle the situation after he fell, but it was an awful risk."

Maria smiled, "I'm sure he was confident in both of you. And that also tells me that he'll probably be looking for you when he awakes. You should come in."

Esther looked up and met Maria's gaze. "If you're sure. I don't want to overstep family."

"Nonsense. Come. The doctors said they'd be in soon to remove the respirator, which is good news."

Esther followed Maria Colasanto into the room and was introduced to Stefano's father, Lucas, who seemed friendly but reserved. She shook his hand and moved to Stefano's side. She wasn't sure if she was imaging things, but he seemed to have better color than he did the previous evening, and that made her feel better. His brother, Leo, moved to her side after she noticed Maria prodding him to do so.

"Ms. Drummond, I apologize. Just because I dislike Captain Harkness doesn't give me the right to treat either of you like I did. I was a bit panicky and behaved poorly."

Esther looked up at him with a smile, "I was a bit panicky, too. Thank you for your apology. I hope you'll extend it to Jack as well, since he's the one who really deserves it." Leo nodded and was silent. They all waited for a while and then the doctor shooed them out of the room while they took out the respirator. When they got back to the room, it was a relief to Esther to see him without the tube down his throat. He looked like he might wake up any time now.

Many hours later and a few conversations with Stefano's family from then Esther left the room to see if she could meet Jack when he came in. He had texted her around seven saying they were back in town and that he would come after he dropped Gwen and Rhys off home. She felt a sigh of relief escape her lips when Jack walked into the lobby, his coat practically swirling behind him. He wrapped her in a bear hug when they found each other and she felt safe again, less out of her depth. She decided that was how Jack affected her. Things were steadier when he was around, and she was surer of herself as well. She could use that right now, and she clung to him a moment longer than was probably normal, and he noticed.

"Hey," he said, pulling away and looking in her eyes, "Is everything all right? What's happened?"

She knew she was causing him worry, so she assured him, "No, it's okay, Jack. Everything is the same. He still hasn't woken yet, but his vitals are strong and they're pleased." She paused. "I'm just glad you're back. It's been a long day."

He grinned at her, "Yeah, I know. Mine was long, too, but at least I had some change of scenery. Come on," he said as he took her hand and led her to Stefano's room, "You can introduce me."

They headed back to Stefano's room and when they entered, Maria and Lucas stood, and Leo seemed to slip back into a corner, intimidated. Jack stepped forward and shook Stefano's parents' hands, though, gripping them intensely and meeting their gazes.

Lucas Colasanto, who was the cause of Leo looking so much like Angelo, said to Jack, "It's been a long time coming, Captain. I'm pleased to meet you, and thank you for all you've done."

Jack laughed and replied, "I think I owe you a bit as well, sir. What your youngest son has done for me just in the last week is worth a hell of a lot of thanks." Lucas nodded proudly and then Jack turned back to Leo. He looked Leo in the eye and spoke genuinely, "Can I just stay for a bit?" and Esther knew Jack was offering Leo an olive branch. She thought he really didn't want to hurt Stefano's family and that he'd stay away if that's what they wanted, even though it was unreasonable. She found herself holding her breath.

Leo stepped forward, though, and held his hand out to Jack. "You can stay, Captain. I apologize for my behavior last night. It was uncalled for." He looked over at Stefano, lying on the bed, "Besides, I think my little brother would give me one of his famous right hooks if I didn't let both of you stay." He grinned at Jack and Jack returned it genuinely as they shook hands.

_["Can you forgive me, Esther?" Sarah asked in a broken, stunned voice over the phone a few hours earlier. Esther had finally gotten through to Sarah's number and was very glad she was sitting down when she made the call. Her sister's voice caused a feeling of such relief in Esther that she knew her legs wouldn't have held her otherwise. "For what?" Esther asked, confused. She heard Sarah take a deep breath and reply, "For threatening to take the girls to one of those horrible camps. I know now it was a mistake and I shouldn't have even considered it." Sarah was obviously crying now. Esther sighed, "Well, I'm just glad it didn't happen, Sarah. We'll sit down and have a long talk as soon as I get back about what's going to happen to the girls. They're not just going to let you have them back after all of this, you know, and it's not a conspiracy. We all just want what's best for all three of you." Esther felt herself slipping into protector and planner mode, but then Sarah's voice, filled with tears, repeated, "I just want you to forgive me, Esther." Esther paused, considering her answer very carefully, and then replied steadily, "I do forgive you, Sarah. I do."]_

Leo's mother and father stepped toward the door and she said, "Actually, Captain, we thought we'd leave you two with him for a bit while we stepped out to get some dinner, if that's all right?"

Jack nodded and offered a reassuring smile, "Of course. I presume Esther has your number now so we can call if anything changes while you're out?"

Esther nodded and she watched as Maria leaned over the bed and kissed Stefano's forehead, pushing his hair out of his eyes softly and then she stood and left, Leo and her husband following.

Jack stepped over to Stefano's bedside, and Esther took up a spot on the other side.

"It's good to see him without that respirator in," Jack said quietly.

Esther nodded. "How did it go today, Jack? Did Rhys meet the Queen?" She said with a smirk.

Jack laughed. "Yep, and he only put his foot in his mouth once. It was good."

"What about Torchwood? Did they agree to your terms of reinstating it?"

Jack nodded, "They're restricting the budget a bit, but yes. It's reinstated. Now Gwen and I just need to meet with the construction team UNIT recommended and go from there. We're going to use a small office near the Plass to work out of for now."

Esther smiled, "That's exciting, Jack." She watched as he nodded thoughtfully but didn't respond. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He looked up and met her eyes and she saw depths of sadness in them. "Starting again means moving on, right? Moving on from the horrors that happened with the 456, moving on from the horrors of this 'miracle.'" He paused. "Starting again," he said flatly.

Esther was confused, and she heard a break in his voice that she hadn't heard before. "That's good, though, right? We have to move on."

He sighed and looked back down at Stefano, avoiding her gaze, "Yes. We do. But I after the 456 because I didn't know how to move on from that, and I'm not so sure I've figured it out yet. I came back because I had to help, not because I was ready to move on." He grew quiet for a minute and then added softly, "I'm still not sure I'm ready for this."

Esther was trying to think of a way to respond when a weak, hoarse voice spoke from the bed, "You have to be ready." She looked down and Stefano was looking up at Jack, but then his eyes moved to her and then closed again. A small smile crept across his face as he opened them again and she caught his gaze. "Right?" He said to her.

She grinned and leaned over to kiss his forehead, "Right."

Stefano smiled weakly as the Captain leaned over him with a mad grin, kissing his forehead just like Esther had. He felt overwhelmed seeing both of them standing over him, looking out for him after all of this. He was in pain; his throat felt like sandpaper, his leg felt like someone was grinding a screwdriver into it and his shoulder ached horribly, but seeing both of them pushed it all to the background.

The Captain asked, "How are you feeling?"

Stefano tried to assess the situation. He replied honestly, "It hurts. But that's better than having bled out on the floor of a lab somewhere, right?"

Esther nodded with tears in her eyes, and the Captain leaned over to push the call button so they could let the doctor know Stefano was awake. Esther spoke softly, "Your parents are here, and your brother. They just stepped out to get some food, but I'm going to send them a message so they know you're awake."

Stefano was confused. "My parents? How long have I been out?"

_["I don't want you to go back there," his mother said softly as he got his morning coffee. He thought he heard her wrong. "What?" She looked up and spoke more strongly, "I don't want you to go back there." This was just after Leo had left and Stefano knew his mother was upset about the whole situation, but this was unreasonable. "Mom, I have to go back. My crew is going, and now I'm the leader of this crew. I can't stay home this time." She stood and moved next to him and looked desperately into his eyes with tears in hers, "I don't care. I don't want you to keep this up. It's too dangerous." He was stunned. He was nearly twenty-eight years old, he'd been doing Cardiff duty since he was nineteen, and she knew how important it was. "What's this about, mom? You know this is our responsibility." She looked down at the floor and her voice was only a whisper, "I lost one son to it. Another won't speak to the rest of the family and has moved to Europe as a result. I can't bear to lose you, too." And she leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around her and replied, "I'm not quitting. We can't quit. I'm sorry, Mom. I just won't." And then he cupped her chin in his and pulled her eyes back to his eyes and said, "I am very good at what I do. You won't lose me." And she nodded but buried her head in his chest and cried as he stood there holding her until the tears were spent.]_

"Almost two days," Esther replied, running her fingers through is hair. That felt so good to him that he just closed his eyes, taking the information in. He was startled when he felt the Captain pick his hand up and hold it tightly. He didn't speak, just held it like he'd never let go, and that felt good to Stefano, too. He looked up at him and asked, "The alien device, it reversed? It worked?"

The Captain nodded, "Well, Esther and Gwen shot me full of holes and it apparently pulled the blood like a magnet, glowed a bit, and shut down. I managed to blow it up a couple hours later. It's gone. The field reversed just like we thought it might, and things are back to normal."

Stefano nodded, and then a doctor came in and ran him through a series of questions, upped his pain medication, and told him he was quite pleased with Stefano's progress. By the time he left, Stefano felt like he'd run a marathon. He could hardly keep his eyes open, and when the pain meds started to kick in he could feel himself drifting off. But Captain Harkness held his hand and Esther kept running her fingers through his hair and he felt safer than he had in a very long time.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Well, the thing keeps stretching a bit. Here is one of the last chapters. I'll not promise anything at this point. Thanks to veritas6.5 for helping me understand the budget situation, which I tried to correct here, and for all of the words of encouragement. Thanks to all who review; they make my days brighter, and you all are **_**incredibly**_** kind. **

Stefano couldn't seem to get enough sleep. It was three days since he'd awoken in the Cardiff A&E with Esther and the Captain by his side, and he was waking up again. He felt like he was constantly waking up; the hospital bed sheets seemed to be made of bricks, and even the simple effort of raising the bed and talking to someone for a few minutes left him breathless and shaking. The doctor said it was due to the blood loss and trauma and that he needed to be patient, but he was losing whatever patience he had when it was three days and no change. He couldn't get out of bed and the pain in his leg was constant, regardless of whatever painkillers they would give him. He didn't like the kind that made him loopy, though apparently Esther had gotten quite a laugh out of the conversation they apparently had about balloons and stuffed animals when they experimented with a very strong dose. He didn't like stuffed animals. He also didn't like being tied down like this. He needed to feel useful.

"What are you working on, Captain?" he said when he woke and found the captain sitting in a chair in the corner of the room with a computer on his lap and papers strewn around the nearby table.

"Oh, hey. I didn't realize you were awake," he replied, glancing up from his work. "Um, trying to reconcile the Rift Manipulator characteristics with the design template UNIT gave me, and it's not working."

Stefano raised the bed and did his best impersonation of leaning forward, "Why isn't it working?"

"Because the Rift Manipulator can't fit through a three inch hole, but that's all the space they've allowed. Morons." He stood up and pulled his chair over next to Stefano and showed him the blueprints in his hand, "Look. Here's the space they've allocated for the main HUB staging zone, you know, general entrance, four workstations for operatives, one workstation for general support and three inches for a Rift Manipulator."

Stefano laughed and winced in pain, earning an apologetic grin. Stefano looked at the plans for a moment and then chuckled again. "Captain, look." And he pulled the blueprint onto his own lap, gestured for a pen, and when the Captain handed it to him he made a few broad strokes on the page. "You're looking at this wrong. Here's how they're doing it. It's not really three inches." And he wrote out a quick formula at the bottom of the page and pointed out the correlation and looked up at the Captain with a smile and a shrug, "You had the formula wrong."

Harkness looked again and put his palm to his forehead and sighed. "You wanna double check my other 'corrections' for me? Give you something to do, if you want to."

And so Stefano found himself surrounded by blueprints and armed with a red pen. He surprised himself by staying awake for almost an hour messing with the pages and chuckling at the warped dimensions the Captain had inadvertently shaped his headquarters in, and he also noticed, or rather realized he _didn't_ notice, the pain in his leg and shoulder while he was working. Apparently he'd been bored, he thought to himself as he handed the blueprints back and lowered the bed.

"Thanks for helping, Stefano."

"Sure," Stefano replied. "Can I tell you something else I noticed?" he asked tentatively. He didn't want to overstep his bounds.

"Of course."

"Well, you've got space for a proper med bay plus a recovery room, which is good, and you have a separate autopsy bay, but they're on separate floors. If you maneuvered those three other operative workstations and the tech station back to the same floor as the staging area, then everyone would be together and the med and autopsy bay would be on the same floor. And I don't mean to be morbid, but that might be convenient."

"I thought we might want to spread people out a bit, so we're not all on top of each other," Harkness replied, and then after a pause, "Not that being on top of each other is a bad thing in some circumstances, but I have a different room a few floors down for that," he said absently.

Stefano cleared his throat. "I understand, but look, if you put the conference room in between, then there could still be two separate work areas, plus the conference room would be the middle ground, which will ensure even more use of that area."

"Are you sure you're not an architect?" Harkness laughed.

"Yep. But I like visual space. And I like numbers and things lining up right, you know?" he replied.

The Captain nodded and smiled, "Yeah. Okay. Why don't I leave these here for now – I don't need them until tomorrow. You can look over them again if you're feeling up to it. See if you catch anything else."

Stefano said yes, and then was asleep again what felt like seconds later. When he woke up at least a few hours from then, Esther was sitting next to the bed, holding his hand and dozing. He gently pulled his hand away, which woke her up.

_["Do you have friends, Son?" his father asked one morning as they sat at the table in the Cardiff apartment drinking coffee, waiting for their shift to watch the Captain to start. "Back in New York, I do. A few." Stefano replied without looking up from his newspaper. He sipped his coffee. His father asked, "Do you date?" Stefano looked up sharply at that with a grin. "Do I date?" His father nodded. "You're twenty three. You don't talk to your mother or me about this, so we're curious. Do you date?" Stefano shook his head. "I've been on dates." He shrugged, "Nothing serious. Doesn't seem like a good idea." His father was quiet for a few minutes. "You should be dating at your age." Stefano nodded, yes, "However, I have these weird trips I have to take every other month for weeks at a time. Doesn't seem conducive." His father didn't seem sure of what to say, so Stefano added, "It's okay. I like what I do." His father nodded. He asked again five years later. "Do you have a girlfriend?" over coffee in Cardiff again. Stefano looked at his father and sighed, "No." He really didn't want to get into this. It was a subject he tried to avoid with himself, much less with his father. "Do you have a boyfriend?" His father said with a soft smile. Stefano grinned and replied, "No." He paused for a moment, admittedly enjoying his father's discomfort just a little. "Dad, relationships I would have, which, by the way, would probably be with a girl, would be based on lies by omission. I'm not going to do that." His father nodded. They sat quietly for a few minutes in their customary way. Stefano decided to add, "Maybe when this is all over. But that could be years and years from now, so I don't worry about it. I have friends in New York that I enjoy. That's enough for now." His father looked him in the eye, suddenly, and said, "I'm sorry." Stefano shrugged and replied softly, "Okay."]_

"Sorry, Esther. I didn't mean to wake you. My hand was just falling asleep." He said with a smile.

She pulled herself straighter in her chair and ran her hands over her face, "It's okay. I was hoping you would wake up," she said with a soft smile.

"Yeah, sleeping seems to be the main event right now. Although the Captain left me some work to do, which is good." He gestured to the plans lying in a folder on the nearby table.

"Right. Redesigning the Hub. Were you ever in the original?" she asked.

"No. Used to get a kick watching them use the invisible lift, though, particularly the first time my dad showed me. I thought it was magic."

"It's not?" she laughed, and deadpanned, "Invisible Lift."

Stefano chuckled, "Well, I suppose it is, after a fashion. Not sure it's going to work anymore, though, but the Captain's hoping it will. He likes dramatic entrances."

"Hence the coat," Esther laughed.

"Right."

She sighed, and added, "Speaking of entrances, I have to make an _exit_ tomorrow."

He furrowed his brow, "Why? Where?" and then coherent thought kicked in. "You're going home," he said, and regretted how much disappointment actually came through his voice. Of course she needed to go home. There was nothing wrong with that.

"Yes. I have to look in on my sister, and apparently the CIA is demanding a full debriefing, which Jack's approved. He told me to be honest and clear, and everything would work out. Anyway, that's day after tomorrow, so I'm headed out in the morning." She sounded tired and sad to Stefano.

"That's good, though, right?" he asked. "You'll be glad to see your sister, and once you get everything cleared up at the CIA then you can go back to work, right?"

She nodded but looked away, "Right," and she took a deep breath, "but I'm not sure I want to go back to the CIA. I mean, the way they handled all of this, the things I've seen since all of this started, all of that makes me wonder what I really want."

"You should ask the Captain if you can work for him," he said, half-joking.

Her eyes snapped sharply to his, and then she looked down at her hands. "He'd ask if he wanted me. He hasn't."

"Hey," he said, holding out a hand so she would take it in hers, and she did. "If that's something you want, you should tell him. He may be misreading you and think you want to be back home. It wouldn't hurt anything to ask."

She sighed and gave him a small smile, "I think I'll go home and at least deal with what's in front of me first. I have to do this trip regardless, and I don't even know how I'd handle my sister's situation from this kind of distance. It might not be plausible even if he did ever ask." After a moment she said, "What about you? Are you going home? I mean, once you're able to leave here?"

"I don't know yet," he replied, and then he looked toward the room's window, away from her. "I've spent a lot of my life on a very strict schedule. Cardiff this month, New York this month, this much to do while I'm there that has to get done, follow the Captain. You get the idea," he grinned and looked back at her. "I think right now I'm taking it a day at a time. I'm not sure if I've ever done that before, and it sounds kind of nice."

She lifted his hand and kissed it gently, "Yeah, it does. Are they telling you when you'll get out of here?"

He shook his head, "No. I haven't even managed to get out of bed yet, though, so I'm guessing a few more days. Actually, the doc told me this morning they want to start some physical therapy tomorrow morning. Sooner I can do the basics the better. I still have the apartment here in Cardiff, so I might go there when I get released, or I might go back to Nevada with my parents. I haven't decided yet."

"Options are good," she smiled. "You could even take a vacation to DC when you're ready."

He nodded, feeling a little heady, "That sounds pretty good, actually." He held her hand for a few more moments and then ventured, "I'm going to miss you while you're gone, Esther."

Her voice fell to a whisper, "Yeah, I'm going to miss you, too."

He wished like hell he could lean forward and kiss her, but his body just couldn't, so he settled for squeezing her hand. Making his heart leap into his throat, though, she leaned forward herself and gently touched her lips to his, just for a moment. Then she leaned back with her own smile and offered, "We'll be sure we see each other soon."

He nodded, "Okay. One day at a time, after all," and he would swear it took an hour for his heart to return to its normal pace.

One day turned into five days, and after her trip home to see her sister and report to the CIA, Esther found herself back on a plane to Cardiff, which was something she never expected to be able to be said about her. 'Back on a plane to Cardiff.' Hmf. She'd heard of Wales, of course, even had some sort of studies about it since European politics were part of her university degree, but to have been there and then to be going back? That was an odd turn of events, and then she added in her excitement about getting back and everything had definitely turned weird.

Her trip home had been precluded by Jack taking her to the airport and insisting on allowing an extra hour for coffee before her flight departed. They sat in the airport café, and after they got their drinks he leant across the table and stared into her eyes. She shifted uncomfortably and looked around to see if anyone was concerned on her behalf, but she was being ignored by everyone but Jack. "What are you doing?" she said, unconsciously shifting her chair back an inch or two on the floor. His eyes were light, though, and a grin pulled at the corners of his mouth as he leaned in dramatically.

"Come back here when you've finished your business in DC," he said without preamble.

"Why?" she challenged, jumping into the conversation right with him.

"Because you really will make a good field agent. And if you don't like that you can be lead support, even command staff if that's the route we decide to take the team," he said seriously.

She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. "I don't really know what to do with a gun, and I'm pretty sure I've never seen an alien."

"Neither did Gwen when she first joined. Nor Owen, nor Tosh, nor Ianto. None of that is a prerequisite."

"What is, Jack?"

"Sense. Curiosity. Desire to help people and protect people. Ability to think quickly, on your feet. Oh, and giving someone a hell of a relaxing bath is an added bonus trait that we accept," he said with a wink.

She laughed, "Right. To be traded in for super-hero sex when said super-hero is back on his feet? Wait, you are back on your feet. Hmm."

He leaned back in his chair with a wide grin. "Right. Exactly. Can you be back in five days?"

She let out a deep breath and leaned forward, "Jack. You're telling me you really want me to be a Torchwood agent?"

He nodded, "Yes. Well, the term was always operative, but I do prefer agent. Whatever. Yes." He paused and then added, "Will you?"

She took a few moments to gather herself before she answered, and she answered very deliberately. "I hope so." He looked puzzled, so she explained, "Look, I do want to. I want to work with you and Gwen, I want to work for an organization with the right ideals and the ability to affect change. Of course I want to! But . . ." she hesitated, not really wanting to elaborate because she hated how this was going to hold her back. He leaned in expectantly, though, so she continued. "My sister and her kids. I can't abandon them, Jack. She's got serious issues and they're my family. I have a meeting arranged day after tomorrow with Sarah and the Social Services folks to discuss our options, but if she needs me, I have to stay."

Jack smiled and nodded, "Of course. Well, keep me posted, all right? And maybe talk to them about whether a change of scenery would be good for all of them, too. Right? We can make that work." He paused again and then took her hand in his across the table. "Esther, I really, really want you on my team. Some of that is because I really, really hate goodbyes, but mostly it's because you'll be very good to have on the team. It's good work, too. If this thing with your sister is standing in the way, let me see if I can help you with that, too. I'd like to, you know."

She smiled and nodded, too. "Okay. I'll see what happens and try to make it work. You know I want to. You should ask Stefano about how I was moping last night when we talked about how you hadn't asked me to stay for Torchwood."

He laughed, "Really? Yeah, I guess I wasn't sure what you wanted, either. I don't want to push too hard."

When he said that, Esther noticed a shadow pass over his eyes, and the light left them for a moment. They sat in silence and she studied him for a few moments. "Jack," she said, "I'll try to come back on one condition."

"What?" he replied.

"While I'm gone will you get some sleep? You look horrible, like you haven't slept since the Miracle ended."

He took a drink of his coffee and just nodded. "Okay."

She watched and noticed as he locked a mask into place, and she felt bad for putting it there. She was only worried about him, but she suddenly realized that she would have to learn the immortal Jack now. He couldn't be the same as when he was mortal and vulnerable, and she knew she'd have to get used to him now that he was back on the invincible side of things. But he wasn't invincible, and she knew it, and she could see in his eyes that something about things falling back to whatever normal is for him was causing difficulty. But she had a flight to catch, and a job to quit, and a sister to rescue, so she could only leave him with a hug and a promise to call in the next few days with a decision.

As it turned out, quitting the CIA wasn't as hard as it sounded, and after a very long and very annoying debriefing session, it was a departure that was mutually agreed upon. Esther told Rex about it over dinner at the hospital, where he was recovering from his surgery. She was happy with his recovery, and he wished her luck, and told her to keep in touch when she decided what she was going to do next. Once she got everything at the CIA straightened out, she dealt with Sarah. That was harder, and while the result meant Esther could go back to Cardiff, it also meant that her nieces were being kept in the foster care system while Sarah underwent intensive therapy that Esther agreed to help finance. They agreed that Esther could bring all three of them over to Cardiff for a vacation in about two months, and Esther agreed that if therapy didn't work well for Sarah she would reconsider her move and their options. When she called Jack to tell him about the arrangement he agreed that she could begin work on a training/probationary basis in order to make it work.

So now she was exiting the customs area in the Cardiff airport and looking for Gwen, who had agreed to pick her up, let her stay with her for a week or two while Esther found her own apartment, and generally help with the whole living-in-a-foreign-country side of things. Esther just hoped she got used to things before she got run over for not looking the right direction before she crossed a street.

"Esther! Over here!" Gwen shouted through the crowd, and Esther saw her approach with Anwen in her arms. She had a huge grin on her face, and wrapped Esther in a one-armed hug as soon as she could. It was nice. "Come on," Gwen said, "Rhys has the car out front." They walked and talked while they gathered Esther's suitcases from the baggage area and carted them out to Rhys. "I suspect you're knackered," Gwen sighed as they climbed in the car, "I figure we'll get you settled at our place, have a little tea, and you can grab a kip before you worry about what to do next."

Esther chuckled, "Okay, I understood getting settled at your place. What's a 'kip' exactly?"

"Argh!" Gwen laughed, "You did this to me our first night workin' together, remember? 'We call crisps chips, your mobile's a cell phone', and oh, I forget the other one. We'll have to work on the language barrier. A kip – a nap. I suspect you're tired, knackered."

"Oh! Okay. Well, tea sounds good for sure. I'd kind of like to go see Stefano and Jack sometime today if it's okay," she replied. She thought with a smile of the last night when she'd lightly kissed Stefano goodbye. They both wanted it, they both enjoyed it, and Esther had texted him several times a day while she was gone, and they'd had at least two multi-hour long phone conversations as well. He complained about therapy and the difficulty of using crutches when his shoulder hurt all the time, and she explained about her sister and things like that. He told her about leaving the hospital a couple days after she left and getting back to his apartment. Everything was easy with him, and she was anxious to see him again today.

"Oh, okay," Gwen replied, and then added, "Stefano's brilliant. You should see what he did with the Hub plans. Jack finally handed them over to him and just told him to make sure he ran them by us before we had to submit them. He did and they're brilliant. Under budget, too, which is good."

_["How long have you been married to mom?" Esther asked her father one day as they sat at the kitchen table before school. Esther was eleven. "Seventeen years," her father replied with a smile, and added, "That's pretty good, huh?" Esther nodded. "Uh, huh. I have a bunch of friends whose parents are divorced." "Yeah," her father said softly, "It's tough sometimes." He brightened, though, and asked semi-jokingly, "Why? Did you find someone to marry?" She blushed and shook her head. "No, but I think Johnny Lancaster likes me. Ewww," she said, and he laughed heartily. She loved it when he laughed. "Well, kiddo, it's early. You might change your mind." Esther shrugged, "Probably." Her father leaned in close to her, then, and had a twinkle in his eye. "Remember, make sure they're smart, and make sure they make you laugh every day." She remembered.]_

Esther had heard about the work on the plans, but she was curious about the budget. "Gwen, who gives us our budget? I'm confused about that."

Gwen nodded, "That's because it's confusing. Well, I suppose not when you look at it on paper, but the politics are annoying. We're not part of the military budget, but UNIT gets copied on all of our reports and budget plans. They're part of the military budget and completely separate from us, but we're expected to align our plans and funding with theirs. Jack was upset at their interpretation of our budget for rebuilding, but he knows we have to play nice with them when we can. They have some influence on the prime minister, after all. But, in the end, we're budgeted out of the Privy Purse. We have to account and we have to ask for funding – god, what a nightmare that was when Jack disappeared – and so politics that UNIT play can influence us. I advise staying away from Jack on a day he has to deal with UNIT. Dunno if you've seen much of his temper yet, but it can be ugly."

Esther shook her head, "No, not much of it. Speaking of Jack, is he doing all right?"

Gwen looked startled by the question, and then she sighed, "He works a lot. I think once you get started and the three of us can look at hiring, he'll relax a bit."

They drove the rest of the way in silence as Esther did feel the jitters of air travel slip away and leave some pretty good tiredness, and after they got to Gwen's flat and Esther had some tea and sandwiches, she was feeling desperate for a nap, a kip. So she called Stefano, made arrangements to meet him at his apartment for dinner, and she went to sleep. Jack was supposed to join Gwen and Rhys for dinner, so Esther hoped to see him before she left for Stefano's place. He was late, though, and after she cleaned up and got directions she left without seeing him.

Jack Harkness was hiding. Not under a desk or in a corner or anything as explicit as that, but after one hundred and seventy plus years he knew himself well enough to know he was hiding. There were three places he went each day, in sort of a triangle. First he'd check in on Stefano at his apartment and make sure he didn't need any help getting to a physio appointment or any help with daily things. He'd been out of the hospital for just under a week and while his parents were still there to help, Jack liked to stop by and offer his own help, too. He'd transported Stefano to a few appointments and had even taken his mother shopping when he found out which store she'd been using and knowing a much better place. Jack enjoyed Maria Colasanto's company, and she enjoyed his.

Lucas Colasanto was a bit of a different story; as it turned out, he was a very quiet man who also ran a major corporation back in Nevada and spent much of his time, when he wasn't working with his son, working on the phone or at the computer. Jack always felt like he was interrupting Lucas, and so avoided him as he could. He liked him, though, and one night had taken a meal in, including a few bottles of excellent wine, and the two men had stayed up late into the night talking about Angelo, Italy, and politics. At any rate, Stefano's apartment, which was the same one their family had used for years, was one of three places Jack went.

He spent most of his day working out of the small business office he and Gwen set up near the Plass, where he went over construction plans, rewrote the Torchwood charter according to the plans he and Gwen had set up with UNIT and the Queen, and began work on revising the Torchwood Policy Manual, which hadn't really been updated in years. If they were going to expand the team, they'd need new policies. He hated policies. Gwen helped a lot with that, when she was in, and she also forced him to do simple things like eat or get a nap on the couch he'd bought for the office.

Finally, he spent time at the Hub site. They were rebuilding in the same place; it turned out that the horrific explosion that still sent shudders down Jack's spine really only damaged the main areas of the HUB, the vaults and lower levels of cells were still intact, along with the old Archives.

Three places: Stefano's apartment, the new office, and the old Hub site, these were the only places Jack went. He didn't go to restaurants or pubs, he didn't walk around the city, and he didn't make any attempt to find himself a place to stay. He was hiding.

One day he decided that needed to stop. He had a few hours to kill before he was expected at Gwen's flat for dinner, and hiding wasn't going to help once things really got going; he would have to be out in the city. Avoiding the city until then would only make things worse. It wouldn't be long until the techs at UNIT took the plans Tosh had stored on her home computer, which had then been confiscated and stored in the archives, for the Rift Predictor software and reconstructed it for Jack and the new team. They were just as close to realigning the Rift Alert system, and once that was back online then who knew what kind of work in the city Jack would be doing. The reinstatement of Torchwood was getting closer to real, and Jack wasn't at all sure he was ready. So he went for a walk.

He walked around the Plass, and he wandered the streets in a circle away from the Plass, getting deeper into the city and getting tenser as he went. The pub where he and Ianto used to get dinner on quiet nights, the Chinese takeaway place that Torchwood used to keep in business, the clubs they'd go pull Owen out of, all of them were on the circle path that Jack walked, and he slowly lost control of his thoughts the more of the familiar places he passed. It was when he realized where his feet had taken him without thinking that he felt his heart clench and the blood drain from his face.

It was a quiet apartment complex about fifteen minutes from the Hub where Jack had found a kind of peace he hadn't known for at least twenty years, and now as he stood in front of it he felt like it was mocking him. It seemed to loom, and his feet seemed cemented into place, and he lost track of how long he stood there. When he shook himself out of the trance the place put on him, he did something really stupid. He reached into his wallet and found two things he probably should have left alone. One was the picture that he kept of Ianto and him, and the other was a key he kept shoved into the side of the wallet. He let the key fall into his hands, and he entered the building, climbing the stairs and losing all sense of time and all sense of what was going on around him. He used the key when he got to the right door, and he stepped inside and lost himself.

He stood in the entrance for minutes, hours, seconds and stared at the coat rack, and the mat for their shoes, and the couch in front of him.

_["Take your shoes off, okay?" Ianto asked as they stepped inside his door. "Just my shoes?" Jack retorted, and earned himself a glare and very good eye-roll. The glare was followed by Ianto helping Jack out of his coat and his shoes, and then leaning in for a kiss. It was ten minutes before they made it any further into the flat.}_

He stood in the kitchen for minutes, hours, seconds, running his hand over the stainless steel coffee maker, the handle of the refrigerator that held pictures and other memorabilia – a photo of Lisa, a photo of Tosh and Owen and Gwen, an empty spot where the photo in Jack's wallet had once lived, a ticket from a rugby match.

_["You have nothing in your refrigerator. Neither does Owen. I wonder what Tosh and Gwen's look like. Maybe I ought to add a grocery per diem to your expenses." Ianto followed him into the kitchen. "Look in the freezer. Plenty of quick food in there. Why do you know what Owen has in his fridge?" Jack shrugged, "I worried about him sometimes when he first started. Checked in." Ianto nodded, dug out some popcorn from his cupboard, and shoved Jack out of the kitchen saying, "You make a crazy mess when you cook anyway. Let's keep it simple tonight." They didn't even make it through the whole bag of popcorn before they headed for the bedroom.] _

He sat on the couch in the living room for minutes, hours, seconds, staring at the silent television, the bookcase with all of the James Bond novels Ianto collected, the action figures, the candles.

_["Where did you go, Jack?" Ianto asked as they leaned back on the sofa, drinking coffee a few days after their 'first date.' Jack wasn't really as startled by the question as he was in Ianto's patience in asking. He sighed, "To the end of the world, first." Ianto leaned forward and turned to face him, "And then where did you go next?" Jack met his eye, "Cardiff." They held each other's gaze, playing a game of Chicken. "And then?" Ianto asked. "To the bowels of a ship commanded by a madman," Jack said flatly. "Where next?" Ianto replied. "Home to all of you," Jack whispered, voice shaking. Ianto asked one last question. "How long were you gone?" Jack replied; voice still a whisper, "Too long. Longer than you think." And then he lost the game entirely. They sat on the couch in silence for a long time, until Ianto made sure Jack felt safe again.]_

He wandered aimlessly into the bedroom and lay on the bed for minutes, hours, seconds, breathing into the pillow, running his fingers across the night stand, staring at the closet, open, and all of the suits.

_["Did you dream?" Jack asked lazily as the bright sunlight seeped into the bedroom the next morning. "Mmmhm," came the muffled reply from Ianto, who was buried between Jack's shoulder and the pillow, barely awake. "About what?" Jack prodded, shifting Ianto up to his chest. After a slow kiss, Ianto replied, "The Ocean, and books, and a strange-looking house at the edge of the beach." Jack sighed, "I love the beach. We should go sometime. Take a vacation together to the Caribbean." Ianto laughed at this and rolled up to stop Jack's impossible idea with a languid kiss. It was another hour before they made it out of bed to the shower.]_

He was sitting on the couch again when he heard footsteps in the hallway. He was content to ignore them, but the apartment door opened and Gwen entered the room, saw him, and heaved a heavy sigh. He didn't say anything, but he wrapped his arms around himself, and stared at the floor, unable to look her in the eye as she sat down on the couch next to him. He felt her hand on his back, rubbing circles as he rocked slightly back and forth in his own arms. She didn't talk right away, but then she asked, "Jack, how long have you been here?"

He turned and looked at her, feeling sluggish. "Did I miss dinner?"

Her eyes widened, and she nodded and said, quietly, "And breakfast and two meetings."

He shrugged, ran his hand through his tousled hair, and looked back at the floor, "I got distracted."

Gwen stood and moved to the bookshelf, running a finger over a shelf and looking at the ball of dust her finger had picked up. She turned back to him. "Jack, I thought you were going to pack his things and sell this place. It's been a year."

He drew a shaky breath at those words, a year, a lifetime. "Couldn't do it." He paused. "Still can't."

She sat down next to him again, putting her arm across his shoulders. He felt himself flinch involuntarily and she pulled away.

"You don't _have_ to. I just thought you did," she said softly.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, and Gwen sighed again. "Did you stay here last night?"

He nodded, yes, and then said, "No. I was here, though. I can't stay here anymore."

"What are you going to do, Jack?" She asked simply.

He was startled and it brought a sharp breath to his lungs. What was he going to do? That was a very good question.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews of my last chapter. The plan right now is this chapter and an epilogue (I was going to have it all here, but it threatened to be way too long). The big, angst scene here has actually been planned for a very, very long time. If I haven't planted the seed for it properly, I apologize. I've been trying to foreshadow it practically since Stefano arrived on the scene. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and I greatly appreciate your encouragement so far. **

Stefano was lying on his couch, feeling generally like garbage. His shoulder was throbbing, his leg was throbbing, and his head was throbbing. He couldn't take anything for the headache because of the medication that was supposed to be helping the pain in his leg and shoulder, and the fact that said medicine was doing nothing except make him headachy was also making him incredibly cranky. A knock on his door a few minutes later led him to slowly sit up, pull his crutches under his arms, and stand. He sighed. Nothing was particularly easy right now. Plus, he was kind of bored.

He opened the door and there stood Esther, dressed in jeans, black boots, and a black sweater and carrying a pizza box. The bored feeling left.

"I brought a late lunch!" She said with a grin, marching in past him like she owned the place. He liked that. She set the box on the table and watched him as he closed the door and hobbled back over to her. He smiled and leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, watching her face as her eyes lit up. They'd talked late into the night last night, and he had felt so comfortable being with her that he swore to himself he would give this a real shot. Besides, leaning in for a kiss felt just as natural as their long conversations, and she seemed okay with it. This was good.

"What are Gwen and the Captain up to while you bring me lunch today?" He asked. He was startled when her face filled with worry.

"Gwen went looking for Jack about an hour ago."

"What do you mean, looking for him?"

Esther sighed, and sat down at the kitchen bar. "He was supposed to have dinner with her last night and he didn't show. Then he wasn't at work all morning, and that included missing two meetings, one with an architect and one with a UNIT guy. The UNIT guy was displeased, to say the least. Gwen hasn't been able to get him on his phone, either."

He passed her a plate and a napkin and sat down next to her. "That's odd, but maybe he's just got something else that came up. He's good at finding trouble, but he's tough. He'll call in. Or Gwen will find him." They ate and talked for a while and about an hour later, Stefano's phone rang. It was Gwen.

"Hey, are you busy?" She asked in a voice filled with worry.

"No, Esther and I just finished some lunch. What do you need?" He replied.

"Listen, can I bring Jack over to your place? He needs some sleep, but Rhys' parents are coming to mine tonight and I know he's not going to want to have anything to do with that. I thought Esther said your parents were leaving for a couple of days so I thought he could stay with you tonight," Gwen asked.

Stefano nodded, "Sure. He can stay here. Is he okay?" Esther was looking at him, confused.

"Well, I'm not sure he's slept more than an hour here and there for a while, and I know he hasn't eaten since at least yesterday. I don't want him going back to the office or being on his own, really."

"Where did you find him, Gwen?" Stefano asked, curious.

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. "Ianto's flat." There was a pause, and then she sounded impatient. "Listen, just let me bring him over. I'm going to stop at my flat first, though. We have some sedatives left over from Dad and I think Jack could use one tonight. Then we'll come to yours. Okay?"

"Of course, Gwen," he replied, and they hung up. Stefano closed his eyes for a moment. If Gwen found the Captain in Ianto Jones' flat, then Stefano knew he was going to be in very rough shape when he arrived. Esther moved to his side and leaned into him.

"What's wrong, Stefano? Is Jack okay?"

"No," he said as he looked down at her. He said gently, "Listen, can you help me change the sheets in the spare bedroom? The Captain's going to stay here at least for tonight."

"Do you think he'll sleep? He seems generally against the idea," she remarked.

"Well, since Gwen's going to sedate him, I think he'll sleep."

"What?" Esther asked, her eyes wide.

"Gwen said she found him at Ianto's flat and that he hasn't been sleeping. Shit, that combination alone is enough to cause worry, much less the fact that he's not been eating enough. Even I noticed that. He's lost weight in just two weeks," Stefano said as they went to the bedroom and began stripping off the sheets. By the time they got the bed remade and Stefano put the few things his parents had left away until their return, there was a knock at the door. He went to open it and Gwen stood there with the Captain, whose eyes were shadowed and whose face was slack and who wouldn't even meet Stefano's gaze. Gwen nodded at Stefano and he ushered them inside.

"Hey, do you want some pizza, Captain? Before you sleep a while?" He decided to ask.

He got no answer. Esther moved to the Captain's side and he looked at her briefly and then looked away, "I just need to get some sleep," he said tiredly, "I'll be fine after that."

Stefano thought his voice sounded empty, hollow.

Gwen moved the Captain to the couch, asking for a glass of water. Esther sat down next to them and Stefano got the water, using just one crutch to get where he was going. He brought it out and handed it down, leaning on his crutch and saying, "Here you go, Captain."

Suddenly the Captain's eyes shot up to Stefano and filled with anger. "Why the hell won't you use my first name?" He asked hotly.

Stefano was startled so much by the tone that he took a step backward. "What?" He asked quickly.

"Why. Won't. You. Use. My. First. Name?" the Captain said, standing up and stepping close to Stefano.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Gwen asked, standing also and with a touch of panic in her voice.

"He won't use my name. Like it's beneath him, or he's apart from us. He never uses it, even though I've asked him several times."

Stefano felt the edge of panic rising in his own chest as answers to the question tumbled through his mind, searching for that box of emotion he kept carefully hidden. He knew the answers, but he didn't want to discuss it with anyone, especially Captain Harkness. This was a subject that needed to stay in that box.

_["Stefano, you get to meet him soon," his sister said she sat on his bed watching him pack. "That's exciting, right?" Stefano didn't answer and just kept packing. "I thought you wished you could meet him? What's wrong?" she asked. Stefano continued throwing shirts into his bag, but finally he looked up at his sister, his sister who had been doing so much research, who knew so much about Cardiff, the Captain, Esther Drummond, and her brother. He sat down on the bed next to her and leaned into her arms, and said, "He's going to hate me. He's going to find out what we've been doing all these years and he's going to hate me."]_

The Captain looked at Stefano again and his voice rose in volume, "Why the hell can't you call me 'Jack?' You don't want to, do you? You know too much. You've seen TOO much of me, haven't you?" Stefano could feel the color drain from his face as the Captain spoke.

Esther stood quickly and reached for the Captain, "Jack, stop. Please."

But the Captain didn't stop, and he stepped close to Stefano, who tried to step away again, getting closer to the wall of the room and stumbling a bit on his crutch.

The Captain said scathingly, "You know I'm a monster and you won't get too close, right?"And his voice was laced with darkness. And suddenly the Captain shoved Stefano against the wall of the living room. On any other day it would have startled Stefano and angered him, but he would have stepped back from the wall and defended himself. But today the shove sent an explosion of pain through his shoulder, and as he tried to regain his balance he instinctively used both legs, and his injured leg crumpled beneath him, sending him tumbling to the floor. As he fell, the thoughts in his mind exploded, and as Esther ran to him and helped him straighten back up off of the floor, words cascaded out of his mouth and he was powerless to stop them.

"You think you're a monster? This has _nothing_ to do with you," he said back to the Captain, his voice shaking. He tried to stand taller, but his leg was shaking in pain and he reached out to put his hand on the wall to steady himself, glaring at the Captain.

"I don't use your name because it's not for me to use it! Don't you see? Don't you get what I've done to you? Don't you understand what my family has done?" His voice was rising in volume, and the Captain stepped back, his eyes wide in surprise at the unexpected tone and the unexpected answers.

Stefano looked over at Gwen and he could feel his own hysteria growing uncontrollably. "Do you know how much I know about him?" He said, pointing at the Captain and watching her eyes grow wide. "Do you know how much I've seen?" His voice grew ragged and his heart raced. He swung his eyes back to the Captain, "I've been watching you for seventeen years! My family has been watching you for more than sixty years! We've kept fucking files! We know everything about you!" He couldn't help it, but his voice kept rising.

"We know everything you like, everything you hate, and everywhere you run. _I've_ seen where you hide when you don't want Torchwood to find you. I've seen where you take your one night stands. I've seen where you took Ianto when you wanted him to feel special. I've seen where you've run when you were too angry to be around anyone. I know _everyone_ you've loved, _everyone_ you've lost, and _everyone_ you've killed for the past sixty years!" At this point Stefano was shouting, and the Captain stood, transfixed and watching him with glistening eyes.

Stefano swung back to Gwen, "I know more about him than _any_ of you." He stopped for a moment, his chest heaving and pain coursing through his arm and down his leg. Esther tried to move toward him, but he leaned away from her and looked down at the floor.

"Did I _earn_ any of that? Did I earn your trust so that you'd divulge all of that? Did anyone in my family ever try to explain what we were doing? No. We didn't. We just spied. We eavesdropped for sixty fucking years. We took all of that from you _without your permission_." His voice dropped to a ragged whisper and tears ran down his face and he turned back to the Captain, "_We raped your life_. So if you want to know why I won't use your name, it's because I don't _deserve_ to use it. _No one_ in my family does." And he found his crutch on the floor, picked it up, and walked silently to his own bedroom, going in, shutting the door, and sliding down the wall to the floor, his whole body trembling.

Esther, Jack, and Gwen stood in shock in Stefano's living room after he left, staring at each other. Jack stepped forward, though, and said, "I'll go talk to him," and Esther's own anger flared. She stepped forward and put her hand to Jack's chest.

"No. You won't. Take a pill and go to sleep, Jack," She said harshly.

Jack stepped back, surprised. "Why not? He's upset with me, and he's completely wrong."

Esther shook her head, "No. You just treated him like a schoolyard bully and it sent him into a tailspin. You don't get to talk to him right now. I'm going to calm him down and you're going to sleep. You can talk to him when you're both rested. Gwen," she said, turning away from Jack, "Get Jack to sleep and I'll take care of Stefano, okay?"

Gwen nodded, understanding in her eyes, "Okay. I'll call you later tonight, right? Check in."

"Right," Esther said. And she turned away from them and headed to Stefano's room. She had heard the panic and hysteria in Stefano's voice, and she had seen the devastation on his face. She stepped into his bedroom, but she only saw his crutch lying across the floor by the bed. But she heard a sound from the bathroom, and she went toward it. She stepped into the bathroom and stopped at the sight. Stefano had made his way there, and he was sitting on the floor, bad leg splayed out in front of him, leaning around the toilet. He was shaking, and he was holding the edge of the toilet. He looked up with a tear-stained face as she entered, and she knelt down beside him.

"Hey," She said gently, reaching her hand out and running it through his hair. "You okay?" She said, despite the obvious answer. She needed to hear from him how he was, how she could help.

He shook his head, and looked at her with desperation in his eyes. "I feel really sick," he said, his voice shaking and weak, as if he were trying to hold his panic in.

"Okay," she said, "It's okay." And she moved down to the floor and arranged herself around behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and it seemed that gesture set him off. He shuddered and leaned over, throwing up violently, and she held him, whispering to him that it would work out, that everything would be okay, that she would help him, that she would be there for him. She held him until it seemed like he couldn't throw up any more and he finally leaned back into her arms, his hair wet with sweat and his body still trembling from being sick. They sat together like that for a while, and then she reached around him, grabbing a washcloth and wiping his face gently, never letting go of his waist. He lay against her, silent, shaking.

Finally, she hugged him a bit tighter, and said, "Come on. Let's get you to bed. You need to sleep." And he nodded, and she helped him stand, and she helped him walk to the bed, sat him down at the edge, and began to pull his shirt off. He shivered, but he didn't move to help her at all, and she pulled it the rest of the way before reaching down to discard his shoes and socks, leaving him only in his jeans. She laid him back on the bed after she pulled the duvet down, and she tucked it around him, lying down next to him and wrapping her arms around him tightly. She held him and he trembled, tears still streaming down his face. She held him for a long time and his breathing finally evened out, and she stayed with him until she was sure he was asleep.

_["Shhh. It's okay," Sarah's voice said gently as Esther cried. She was fifteen and she had just had a fight with her best friend. She had stood up to defend Sarah, and her friend had told her that Sarah was crazy, and that Esther had a crappy life compared to everyone else. "You're not crazy, Sarah," Esther sobbed, and Sarah held her tighter. "We do all right," Esther continued. Sarah put her hand on Esther's face and nodded, "We'll get through this together, little sister." And Esther wrapped her arms around her sister and held on desperately. Sarah was all she had, even if she was a little crazy sometimes.]_

After a while, she untangled herself from Stefano and his bed, and padded out of the room. She checked on Jack, but he was sound asleep, just as she had hoped. She got herself a glass of water and then sat down on the couch. She was listening for either man to wake up, wondering how they would all look at each other in the morning.

What Stefano said had made a little bit of twisted sense and had answered a question she herself had from their trip across the country. It seemed like Stefano had avoided Jack one-on-one, only around when Esther was, too. She couldn't understand his guilt, though. He was doing what he was asked to do out of loyalty to his family, and that was what he felt he had to do. She sighed to herself. It was late in the evening, and she hoped that both men would sleep through the night. As she sat there, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Esther, it's Gwen. How are they?"

Esther sighed, "They're sleeping. I presume you sedated Jack?"

"Actually, he wouldn't let me. He said he'd sleep anyway. I think he realized what he needed when he shoved Stefano," Gwen replied darkly.

"I don't know how Stefano will get past this, Gwen. He was so upset he made himself sick."

Gwen replied, "Jack will help him. He'll talk to him and make him understand that he doesn't blame Stefano for this."

They paused for a moment and Gwen added slyly, "Does make me want a look at those files, though."

Esther laughed, "I don't think that request would go over very well right now."

"No, probably not," Gwen replied.

"I'll be into the office in the morning, okay?" Esther asked.

"Yeah, you and I should sit down with those files the UNIT guy brought today and start narrowing down the medic candidates. Hopefully Jack will help, too."

"Gwen, is Jack going to ask Stefano to work with us? I thought he would."

"I don't know. I spoke to him about it just the other day and he does agree it would be good. He just hadn't gotten to speak with Stefano about it," Gwen said, and then sighed, "Maybe that will help them talk to each other now."

"Yeah, Maybe," Esther said. "Hopefully they'll both sleep awhile first. God, Gwen. Stefano was a mess. Just a mess."

Gwen sighed, "I know. That's years of guilt getting released in one moment; I'm not surprised he was sick. He'll get through it, though. He's tough."

"Yeah, I know," Esther said with a smile. "Okay, I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Gwen replied, "Yeah, call me if you need help with them."

They hung up and Esther leaned back on the couch. She was asleep before she thought about anything more.

Jack woke in the spare room of Stefano's apartment and he was shocked. He hadn't woken up screaming like he fully expected and, judging from the light outside the window, it was morning. He sighed. He supposed that was because he wore himself out so thoroughly that he was too exhausted to do anything but sleep. That and push another man over the edge, apparently. He climbed out of bed and decided to allow himself the luxury of a shower before facing the consequences of his actions last night.

When he stepped out to the flat's sitting room after his shower, Esther and Stefano were sitting on the couch together. Stefano was leaning against Esther, his head on her shoulder, his brown hair tousled and his face pale and drawn. Esther was looking through the newspaper, but Stefano was just laying there with his eyes closed. Jack gave Esther a soft smile as he entered the room, and she looked up and nodded.

"There's coffee in the kitchen," She said as he passed. Stefano didn't move or open his eyes.

Jack went to the kitchen and fixed himself a cup of coffee and made his way back to the sitting room. He sat in the recliner chair across from the couch and sipped his coffee. He knew what he wanted to say, but he was unsure of how to begin. He had come to a realization about Stefano's claim as he'd fallen asleep last night, and he thought it might help, but the vehemence and obvious layers of guilt that Stefano had piled upon himself were daunting.

_["We're over it, Ianto. You need to let it go, too," Tosh said as the two of them sat on the couch outside Jack's office. Neither one realized that Jack was just inside his door and could hear their conversation. "Let what go, Tosh?" Ianto replied. Tosh leaned into his shoulder, "Your guilt. No one blames you anymore. Even Owen's figured out why you did what you did." Ianto crossed his arms across his chest, "Why did I do it, exactly?" He replied. "Love," Tosh replied gently. "And no one can blame you for doing something extreme for love." Ianto uncrossed his arms and leaned his head back. "I can. A girl died who just wandered in to the wrong place at the wrong time. She died because of my love." Tosh nodded. "Yes, and that's awful. But we do important work here at Torchwood, and her death bought us the time to find you and get rid of the Cyberman. Her death wasn't pointless, and it wasn't your fault." Tosh reached over and covered his hand with hers, "And loyalty is good. We all know you're loyal, and we don't blame you anymore." Ianto looked down at Tosh and Jack heard his voice grow soft, "Thank you, Tosh. It's just hard to let that go." Tosh replied, "I know. But we do good work here. When we make mistakes they tend to be pretty big ones. I think we have to figure out how to let things go, or we'll make ourselves crazy." Ianto nodded, "I don't really want to be crazy." And Jack stepped back to his desk and left them alone.]_

He leaned forward in his chair and looked at Esther and Stefano. "Hey," he said gently. Esther looked up but Stefano didn't, and Jack asked Esther, "Is he awake?"

She looked sideways at Stefano and then back to Jack, "Sort of. He woke up with a lot of pain, so he took an extra dose of pain meds. He's not really with it at the moment, sorry."

Jack shook his head and sighed, standing from the chair. He made a decision. "It's okay. I'm going to go into the office. Can you get him over there once he's feeling better, later today?"

"Okay," She replied, "Listen, Jack, can you tell Gwen I'm going to stay here at least until he clears up a little? I don't feel right leaving him alone when he's this fuzzy."

Stefano shifted a little on her shoulder and he mumbled, "'mokay. Go on in, Esther."

Jack leaned over and ruffled Stefano's hair, "Nope, she can stay here with you. Come see me later, okay, kid? I owe you a proper apology, so come get it when you can keep your eyes open for more than a minute."

Stefano looked up at Jack suddenly, and Jack was startled by the tears in Stefano's eyes, "I'm sorry, Captain," he said, his voice filled with panic, and Jack knelt down in front of the couch, and pulled Stefano into his arms.

"No," Jack said, "I'm the one who's sorry." But as he wrapped his arms around Stefano's shoulders, sobs racked the young man's frame. Jack held him and rocked, "Shhh. It's okay. I forgive you. I forgive your family, Stefano. We're going to be okay." They sat on the couch for a long time, the three of them, and Jack held Stefano until his tears abated and he relaxed in Jack's arms. Jack could feel it as Stefano slipped into sleep, and he tilted Stefano from his arms into Esther's arms and looked her in the eye. "Look after him and bring him down to the office later, okay?" She nodded, and Jack left the flat and headed back to the temporary headquarters.

He and Gwen sifted through reports for awhile after he got there, but she stopped him, finally, and got them both a cup of tea, and said, "Jack, you ended up losing a whole day by wandering into Ianto's flat. Then with the explosion last night you haven't gotten a chance to talk about that. Are you all right?" and her voice was gentle and laced with concern.

He sighed. She was right to bring it up, but thinking of sitting in that flat and getting lost in those memories made him tense up uncontrollably. He sipped his tea before answering. "I don't know, Gwen. You know, it's the city. I see a little boy and I see Stephen. I round a corner and bump into a young businessman and I expect it to be Ianto. Hell, I still see Owen and Tosh when I least expect it. How can I work here when everyone turns into a ghost? I ran away because I kept seeing ghosts. It hasn't stopped now."

She leaned in with a grin, "You know, you're pretty old."

He laughed, "That could be considered rude."

"Well, the truth hurts. You're old. You're going to be older, though, and I'll bet by the time you're millennia old there will be ghosts everywhere you turn, no matter what planet you're on."

Jack was confused, "How is this supposed to be helpful?"

"Look, the ghosts aren't going anywhere. I'll bet you saw ghosts in the Hub when you first hired Owen and Tosh and Susie – you'd been around this place a long time and people died. Right now, this is harder because these were people you picked, people you loved, and you feel responsible."

He shook his head, "You know, I don't feel that way so much now. This whole Miracle thing has helped me realize it's not my fault. People make choices. I don't choose for them. But I do see ghosts, and god, Gwen, I miss them. I miss Ianto so damned much it hurts. I'm never going to see Alice again because I killed her son, and that hurts. Stephen loved me, trusted me, and I betrayed that trust to the worst end." His voice broke.

"Jack, you didn't kill him. You sacrificed him. There's a difference. No, you won't see Alice again. I'd leave you if you ever had a hand in Anwen getting hurt. You know that. But that doesn't mean it's your fault. Look at the children on the streets of Cardiff and know you did the right thing." She paused, and then said, "See, that's just it. You have to do the right thing, not the easy thing. The only way you can get through that is to surround yourself with people who will forgive you and support you. And you're doing that. Esther loves you. I love you. And if you can help Stefano through this breakdown, he'll love you, too. Look at these files – there are good people here. People who will meet you, help you, and love you. You have to crowd the ghosts out, Jack. Not banish them; Ianto will always be a part of Torchwood and you, but give yourself other people to care for and love. There are plenty of people who will fall in line for that. "

He nodded. He knew she was right. He had been through all of this before. If he was going to live forever he'd better remember how to cope. It was hard, though. He had to grieve. He'd run instead of grieving before the Miracle. Now he had to settle down and grieve. Gwen shuffled through the papers and found a file of a doctor from London, showing him why she thought he should be the first one they went after. Going after things. That's what he needed to do. He could control what he went after. And he could grieve.


	24. Epilogue

**A/N: Thank you all for reading this story. Writing it and encouragement from you all has taught me a great deal. I hope you like the ending. (I may have to play some more with these characters. We'll see.)**

_**EPILOGUE**_

It had been three months since the new Torchwood had begun; they were still working out of the small makeshift office near the Plass, and Jack looked back on those past three months with mixed feelings. He signaled the start of the new Torchwood as when Stefano had agreed to come on board, completing the new core of Jack's team and giving Jack a sense of optimism and dread all mixed together. He recalled that day after he and Stefano had both melted down pretty completely.

_Jack looked out the window and saw Esther and Stefano walking down the street. Stefano had shed his crutches for a cane, he was wearing a leather jacket and jeans with a dark T-shirt, and Esther was holding his hand. Jack smiled to himself, enjoying the sight of the two of them together. Stefano looked better, like he'd had a shower and a good sleep. They came into the office and said hello to Gwen before Stefano came into Jack's office. Jack stood up and came around the desk. He reached out and shook his hand. Stefano looked confused, but he shook Jack's hand, too. _

"_Captain, I'm sorry it took so long for us to come down. I ended up sleeping longer than I thought I would," Stefano said. _

_Jack said lightly, "It's okay. You needed it," and he ushered Stefano to the couch against the far wall. They sat down next to each other and Jack leaned back, taking a deep breath. "I want you to work for Torchwood." _

_Stefano looked over and said, "You do?"_

"_You sound surprised. I think you're perfect for Torchwood. You'll be a good leader with some practice, and you've already got the base skills of the field operative, plus you know Torchwood's history like no one but me. Once you're healed you're going to be a hell of an agent. It would be a mistake not to keep you around." _

_Stefano's face fell a bit, "Yeah, a mistake."_

_Jack remembered suddenly how fragile the man next to him was at the moment, "Stefano, I _want_ you to work with us. I _want_ you around, and I _want_ you on my team. I'm not doing this just because it would be good for Torchwood. It would be good for me," he finished vehemently. "Do you want to work here?" he followed._

_There was a long pause, and then Stefano said, "I used to dream about it when I first started coming to Cardiff to watch." His breath hitched, "To spy." _

"_Look," Jack said with a sigh, "You have to stop thinking about it like that. You know what I think?" he asked._

_Stefano shook his head, no. _

_Jack continued, "I think you won't blame me for the fact that the last twenty years of your life weren't yours to live the way you wanted because you don't think it's my fault and because you saw me on a bit of a pedestal. I think you won't blame your family for those twenty years because you're incredibly loyal to your family. So who's left to blame? Yourself. You see it as something you chose, and you don't like that choice when you think about it as an invasion of me. So you blame yourself and you think you're not worthy to call me 'Jack' and you question whether you deserve to work for Torchwood." _

_He leaned into Stefano's shoulder and wrapped his arm around the young man. "How about you start over again? How about you start here with us and make your own choices and let go of that guilt? I'm grateful for what your family did, I really am. I didn't ask for it, and I know you know things about me that no one else knows, but that's okay. I might need that right now."_

"_What do you mean?" Stefano asked._

"_I'm kind of lost myself these days, you know. It's easy for me to just look at the recent past and feel all of the awful things. You've seen good things, too, and I might need reminding of that."_

_Stefano looked over at him and they sat in silence for a little while. "I killed my own cousin so that the Family wouldn't get you," he said flatly. He took a shaky breath and added, "I let my brother bleed to death so that you wouldn't find out about us." He leaned forward and set his hands on his knees. "I hold those two deaths on myself. When I walk the streets of Cardiff, I see myself making awful choices to save my family's work, and I can't remember the last time I made a choice where that work wasn't involved." _

_Jack stood up from the couch, turned to Stefano and crossed his arms. "Then start now. Decide whether you want to join Torchwood. Your family is not involved, _the_ Families are not involved. I won't blame you one bit if you say no and walk away, either. It's whether __**you**__ want it. That's all," Jack said strongly._

_Stefano nodded. "Okay." After a beat, he looked up at Jack, and Jack saw a gleam in his eye he hadn't seen before. "I'd like to work for you. I'd like to work for Torchwood." _

_Jack grinned. "Good boy. Fantastic." And he offered Stefano a hand to get up. Stefano took it and Jack pulled him up, handing him the cane. _

"_Thank you, Jack," Stefano said with a smile._

_Jack returned it and pulled him into a hug. "You're welcome, kid. And I'm sorry for messing with you last night." _

_Stefano shook his head, "It was for the best. What you do usually is, whether you realize it or not." _

That reassurance from his team was something he found himself falling back on more and more as the months passed. They had one horrible run-in with a shape shifter, and it cost a Cardiff family its father because Jack had to choose between the father and the son in the standoff with the Nostrovite. Esther found Jack drinking in his office after that one.

"_The boy will be all right, I think," Esther said, assuring him. _

"_How can you know," Jack retorted, throwing back the whiskey. _

"_Did you see all of those pictures around that house? On the mantel, on the bookshelves, on the wall? That's a kid with an extended family who loves him right there," she explained gently._

"_No one's the same after losing a father at a young age," Jack argued, darkly._

_Esther shook her head, "No. I know perfectly well he won't be the same. I thought the world of my father before he died. He died when I was twelve and I still measure all of my big decisions against what I think he'd say about it. I didn't say the boy would be the same. I said he'd be all right. He'll get through intact is what I'm saying."_

"_Intact. Yeah. Maybe that's the best we can do. Keep everyone we can intact," Jack said softly. _

_Eventually they both left the hub together, heading back to Stefano's flat to try and throw off the melancholy. _

Jack, since he'd had asked Stefano to work for Torchwood, had taken up a sort of residence at Stefano's flat. After Stefano's parents went back to the States, Jack took his few things into the spare bedroom and began staying there. Jack wasn't there all the time, but it felt right when he was. He got to see more of Esther that way, too, since she and Stefano had settled into spending practically every free moment together. She had finally found her own place, though, and Stefano spent many nights there as well. Jack spent as many nights alone at Stefano's flat as he did with company, and that was okay, too.

Now he sat in the flat by himself one night drinking a bottle of wine while Stefano was over at Esther's place. He was into his third glass and had the sound system blaring Glenn Miller when there was a loud knock on the door. He debated whether he was going to answer it when he heard Gwen's voice shout, "Oi! I know you're in there, Jack. Open up!" And he sighed and moved to let her in.

He didn't turn down the music, but he did move to the kitchen to get another glass as she took off her coat. He poured her a glass and they sat down on the couch next to each other until the song was over, then he did lean over to the remote and turn the volume down to a more acceptable level.

"Where've you been all day, Jack? We're moving back into the hub tomorrow and we could've used your help."

Jack nodded, "Right. Sorry."

"You didn't answer my question," Gwen countered.

"I know," Jack said softly, looking away.

Gwen sighed knowingly, "Did you go back to his flat?"

Jack nodded, looking down at the floor, "I packed it up."

Gwen looked at him sharply and then reached over and took his hand in hers, "What will you do with his things? Put them in storage like everyone else's?"

Jack sighed and shook his head, "No. That's an outdated policy. I did make sure anything related to or referencing Torchwood was set aside, but most of the things I'll give to his sister or give away."

Gwen leaned into Jack's shoulder, and asked gently, "Did you keep some things?"

He smiled and laid his own head on hers, "Yes. I now possess every James Bond novel ever written, plus the action figures." He added, "And a very nice suit with a red shirt." He leaned back up and took a long drink of wine. Tears filled his eyes but they didn't fall, and he and Gwen just sat together and drank their wine while listening to Glenn Miller.

Before she left for the night, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I miss him, too. I miss all of them. Come to the hub first thing tomorrow, okay? Esther and Stefano will be there at eight. I'd like for all of us to go in together the first time, yeah?"

He nodded and she left, and he went to bed and stayed up the night reading James Bond novels.

The next morning he showered and ate a quiet breakfast with Stefano, and they both headed down to the hub together, joining Gwen and Esther at the new entrance. The day was cold, grey, and windy. The place was still a tourist shop, and Jack had plans to staff it with whichever field agent needed the most rest, since they could just relax and direct tourists from there while everyone else worked below. The new team stood outside the entrance and everyone looked to Jack expectantly. He nodded and opened the door.

He stepped inside and took a sharp breath. It felt completely different. It was modern, painted in soothing blues and with a sleek metal counter, but it felt comfortable. It was brighter, had a couple of modern, pale yellow comfortable chairs, a newly stocked brochure holder, and it distinctly lacked a bead curtain. He smiled, and they proceeded to unlock the main door and step into the lift.

Jack stood there as the lift descended and closed his eyes. He felt Gwen's hand in his and he opened them and gave her a smile. When they got off the lift Jack stepped forward to key in the new code to open the main door, and he stopped, his hand suspended in mid-air. Next to the keypad was a picture frame. It was an old, wooden antique frame with a piece of parchment paper showing through the glass. On the paper was a short passage, and then filling the rest of the page was names. The passage read:

_**Welcome to Torchwood Three, Cardiff. **_

_**The Torchwood Institute was originated in 1879 to defend Queen and Country. Many brave people have worked for the Torchwood Institute in Cardiff, and these people will forever be lights of promise shining in the often-dark part of the world where Torchwood stands.**_ _**Their memory lights our way as we continue their work, and in honour of these strong and treasured individuals the Torchwood hub is lit with spirit-lights for each of them. May all who cross this threshold honour their memory, their work, and their bravery by following the light of their souls.**_

The passage was followed by a list of names written in gorgeous calligraphy, and Jack's eye was drawn to the last four on the list, _Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, Ianto Jones, and Stephen Carter (honourary). _Jack's breath hitched, and he turned to Gwen in question. She just smiled and nodded, and she reached over and keyed in the code for the door to open. After the door rolled aside and the alarm faded, Jack and the others stepped into the newly refurbished hub.

In the entrance to the hub Jack was met with the water tower, cascading into a fenced-in pool. To the left was a tile floor the size of a small café, complete with den chairs, a coffee table with inlaid multi-colored tiles, and a couch. On a small end table next to one of the chairs was a potted green plant with small iridescent purple flowers. His eye was drawn to the air above this sitting area, where a glass bauble hung suspended by nothing in mid-air. The bauble was about one foot in diameter and it was shimmering clear glass in a teardrop shape. Inside the glass was a flame burning bright orange, giving off enough light to bathe the area in a soft, comfortable glow.

As Jack looked beyond this area to the first workstation center, he noticed a similar bauble hanging over the computer workstations. There was one hanging in the med bay and more scattered throughout the hub. Jack spent an hour winding his way through the hub, looking at the workstations, inspecting the conference room, exploring the med/autopsy area, and finally wandering to the stairs leading up to his new office.

He climbed the stairs slowly, and he opened the glass door to his office with his breath held. There was a glass flame-filled bauble hanging over his desk, lighting the small piece of coral (a little charred around the edges) and the new blue-and-white striped coffee cup sitting on his desk. There was also a small picture frame on the desk, and when Jack turned it over to look at it, there was a photo of Gwen, Jack, Ianto, Tosh, and Owen all grinning madly.

He set it back down on the desk and looked up at the flame hovering over his desk. He heard Gwen behind him and she said, softly, "We weren't sure where to put Ianto's light, the archives, the coffee station, or here, but we all agreed that this seemed the best place."

He turned, his eyes glistening, "What are they? Where did you get them?"

She grinned, "Esther found them in a box in the archives. The box was labeled neatly in Ianto's handwriting; 'alien fairy lights,' although he did offer a more standard explanation in the accompanying report. Apparently a whole box of them fell through the rift at one point and they were cleared as harmless. Stefano and Esther fiddled with them for weeks to try and figure them out; they finally got them lit and spaced out yesterday."

Esther and Stefano had come into the office behind Gwen and were looking at him with small smiles. He looked at the three of them and took a deep breath. He was having a hard time finding his voice.

"This is really hard," he said shakily. They nodded and moved closer to him. "It all looks different enough to be new, but a big part of me wants to run again and never come back." He looked at Gwen, "I once said that the end is where we start from," and he drew in a deep breath, wiping tears from his face and glancing back at the light hanging over his desk. "It wasn't the end, though, and this isn't the beginning. It's just the path we're walking, the way we're trying to clear so that the people of Cardiff and the world can live and grow." He looked at Esther, at Stefano, at Gwen, and finished, "I can keep walking on this path if you all are with me and if I let my memories be these lights of the past, keeping me from falling into the abyss." And he drew them into an embrace, and they stayed for a while, and then renewed their work in earnest.


End file.
